Charlotte Varcoe
USERS of the Mount Gambier and District Saleyards kicked off an online petition to further fund the transformation project.
It comes mere weeks after the District Council of Grant discovered it was unsuccessful in securing $7m from the federal government’s Growing Regions Fund.
The Mount Gambier Districts Livestock Exchange 2030 Transformation Project aims to further develop the popular site with soft-floor cladding, cattle yard roofing, holding pen reconfigurations, sprinkler systems and rainwater harvesting.
Mount Gambier and Districts Saleyards strategy committee presiding member Barry Kuhl was joined by Mount Gambier Combined Agents chairperson Brad Holdman and Member for Barker Tony Pasin to officially launch the petition in the early hours of the Friday sales.
Mr Kuhl said the community was still significantly disappointed in the decision made by the federal government and hoped the petition would showcase the broader support for the project.
“This petition will keep the saleyard project in the public eyes and show it is not just the council wanting the upgrade but it is also the community wanting it and the businesses in town,” Mr Kuhl said.
“They all run off what the farmers produce and spend the money in town so it is important to keep this in the public eye.”
He said should farmers not have the money to spend while sales were on there would be less progress across the Mount Gambier/Berrin region.
“The aim of this petition is to show the federal government the support of the community and hope for a future election commitment,” Mr Kuhl said.
Mr Holdman said the combined agents committee was very supportive of the petition in conjunction with the District Council of Grant and Mr Pasin.
“We want to put it out to our farmers and the people who support those farmers in town to get their support back,” Mr Holdman said.
“We want everyone to sign this as it is extremely important to support our farmers and get the upgrades at the Mount Gambier Saleyards.”
He said with the saleyards originally built between the 1970s and 1980s the infrastructure was aging.
“This next step is an upgrade for animal health and welfare but also it is the best practice in our industry and this is where we want to upgrade to so that for the generations and generations after that,” Mr Holdman said.
“The saleyards are critical for our region, we are seeing other saleyards in Warrnambool and Camperdown recently announcing their closing and Millicent closing it is critical that we provide this infrastructure not only for our council but also for the wider area as cattle come from all parts of Australia to the saleyard to be sold.
“That provides a service and not only that it underpins our market and our pricing is very visual when you sell cattle at any saleyards as you can compare prices immediately.”
He said throughout the last year numbers had improved by about 20,000 on the previous year but as an average it was still about 10,000 above what they have sold over the last five years.
“It is a trend back towards the saleyards which is fantastic because we are seeing that open-cry auction system and that immediate reward for our clients,” Mr Holdman said.
“The biggest improvement from this upgrade will be the conditions for the cattle and we are after soft floors so that our cattle can lay down there in an environment that is more suitable, more conducive and keeps them fresher and in better condition.
“That is the biggest improvement and we need the shed to have a soft floor which is critical as we cannot have a soft floor in our environment with our weather pattern.”
He said it was critical to keep upgrading the saleyards and provide the best environment while maintaining the best practice.
Mr Pasin said the reality was the transformation project had been four years in planning and was an application with support from both councils and the state government.
“This petition is about sending a message to Minister for Regional Development Catherine King and that it is not only supported by the community but demanded by the community,” Mr Pasin said.
“THe best way to lend support to farmers of the district is to sign a petition to support them and back them.”
He said the petition was important because it sent a strong message that those using the saleyards were not a “small group of people”.
“I want that message to land squarely on Minister King’s desk as she has decided this project is not worth supporting and we are going to change her view,” Mr Pasin said.
The petition is available for signing online and has no current closing date.
South Australian Minister for Regional Development Clare Scriven said the state government was “waiting on the decisions” from council regarding their next steps about the project.
Ms King said the program was “highly competitive” and merit-based which included a “multi-party panel” assessment.
““It received a large number of expressions of interest seeking funding well in excess of the available round funding of $300 million,” Ms King said.
“While not all projects that applied were recommended for funding, feedback is available to unsuccessful applicants.
“This includes dedicated feedback sessions to be offered by the Business Grants Hub.”
Ms King said the second round of the Growing Regions program was due to open later this year.
