The Mount Gambier and District Saleyards draft 10-year Master Plan 2020 – 2030 is now open for public consultation.
Grant District Council Chief Executive Officer Darryl Whicker said the main objective of the plan was to establish a framework that would guide the planning, construction, maintenance and operation of the saleyards so it remained a safe and viable facility for many years to come.
“The saleyards are a critical piece of infrastructure facilitating $122m worth of livestock transactions over the 2019-2020 financial year and more recently received funding from the State Government for a $770,000 project to upgrade livestock ramps and access platforms,” he said.
“The Master Plan has tried to find the right balance between ongoing expansion and upgrades as well as the ongoing maintenance on existing infrastructure.
“This $10m facility plays such a critical role in the agricultural industry in the Limestone Coast region and this plan will help guide its growth and development over the next 10 years.”
Mr Whicker said key opportunities highlighted in the plan included:
• Better promotion, communication and service reviews.
• Benchmarking studies to identify areas of improvement.
• A feasibility study into the potential for online auctions.
• Facility upgrades such as roofing, soft-fall for the cattle yards and holding pen reconfigurations.
Mr Whicker went on to say that market forecasting has also been undertaken to help guide the direction of the plan.
“Store cattle numbers are rising and this could potentially be a real opportunity for the saleyards to increase store sales from monthly to fortnightly,” he said.
“We can see this increase is the result of many factors such as the need to restock former drought-stricken areas and concerns around cash flow and COVID-19 implications.
“Sheep projections indicate that nationally producers are entering into a recovery phase but again until a vaccine for COVID-19 is available, the pandemic will continue disruption to the red meat market domestically and internationally.”
A consultaiton session is scheduled for Friday, November 13 at the saleyards to provide more information to users on the new ramps project and outcomes of the public consultation on the Master Plan.
The Mount Gambier and Districts Saleyards Master Plan is available in hard copy for review at the Port Macdonnell Community Complex, the Commercial Street Office and online at yoursaydcg.com.au.
Consultation opened on Monday and closes November 16.
