The truck wash at the Millicent Saleyards has been spared following a split vote at a special meeting of Wattle Range Council on Thursday night.
By a vote of 6/4, council will resume spending to meet Safework SA requirements and will also allow other parts of the saleyards operations to continue including the effluent management system, stock-in-transit facility, truck stop, toilets, motorbike riding training and drift racing.
The successful motion was moved by Cr Moira Neagle and seconded by Cr Dennis Muhovics.
Cr Neagle was applauded by the public gallery after her opening and closing speeches. She said PIRSA and Livestock SA wanted such facilities as truck washes across the state on biosecurity grounds.
“Wattle Range Council exists to provide services to ratepayers and it will cost around $62,000 per annum to maintain the truck wash,” Cr Neagle said.
“Closure of the stock-in-transit facility at the Millicent saleyards will create transport issues for the small producers.
“They need to transit their stock.
“There were abysmal prices at the Millicent sale on Wednesday.”
She said the truck wash and stock-in-transit facility are fundamental to local agriculture and warned of the consequences of their closure.
“There will be an outcry and we will be back here,” Cr Neagle said.
Deputy Mayor Peter Dunnicliff said he had been uneducated about the biosecurity implications of closing the truck wash.
He now felt it should be kept operational but not the livestock holding pens.
Similar sentiments were expressed by Cr David Walshaw.
Cr John Drew said Wattle Range Council was looking to assist the rural community in its draft 2023/24 budget by lessening the rate burden on this sector as well as part-funding additional mobile phone towers with Telstra and the two other tiers of government.
Cr Drew said he would propose an amendment for council to keep the truck wash but not the livestock holding yards.
A short time later, Cr Drew attempted to move his amendment but his action was disallowed by Mayor Des Noll who was in the chair.
Cr Deb Agnew said she wanted the truck wash and livestock holding pens to continue but Cr Chris Brodie said only the truck wash was justified.
There was a lengthy report in the agenda from council chief executive Ben Gower and correspondence from Cr Dale Price, Millicent vet Dr Sean McGrath, Livestock SA chief executive Travis Tobin and two truck drivers.
Nine of the 10 councillors in attendance spoke during the meeting which ran for 50 minutes.
Biosecurity issues were repeatedly mentioned as justification for retaining the truck wash but opinions varied on the need to keep the stock-in-transit facility albeit in a reduced number of pens.
The meeting was transferred to the auditorium of the Millicent War Memorial Civic and Arts Centre and there were 44 persons in the public gallery.
Most were drawn from the rural sector including producers, agents and truckies along with yard contractors Neville and Bev Copping.
The last cattle sale was held on Wednesday when 202 head changed hands at up to $3.60 per kilogram.
An earlier proposition from Cr Neagle to overturn the June 13 decision to end cattle sales by means of a rescindment motion was discontinued by her and was not part of the agenda.
