Decrepit panels and public liability issues are why Moree saleyards have been closed to the public, after a decision last week by the Moree Plains Shire Council, but agents are hopeful that a solution can be reached in the short-term.
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Moree livestock agent Andrew Pittman says a lack of money spent on maintaining the 50 year old yards, combined with a lack of use during the drought was behind the council decision on Thursday night.
"We're building back up cattle numbers but at a sale it's not one yard panel that has a problem, it's more like 30 to 40 rails break at a time. We're looking at the safety issue but ratepayers need this facility."
Mr Pittman said most saleyards' clients tended to have smaller numbers of cattle and transport to the next available yard was too far away, with Narrabri 100km, Inverell 130km and Gunnedah 250km.
"For small producers selling a table-top load or a single deck it's just not feasible," he said. "We need funding to render the existing yards safe until we can look at building new yards."
The council, meanwhile, has not committed to new yards, or to repairing the old ones but will first prepare a detailed report pitched at government to win grant funding.
Moree mayor Mark Johnson defended the council decision saying the facility dated from the early 1970s and had been built for a time when there were thousands of cattle passing through the yards every month. Today, online auctions appeal to the bigger operators with the smaller ones left behind. As such, the yards have failed to pay for their upkeep.
"This was a difficult decision but based on our advice from AEC Group consultants we couldn't guarantee the safety of users," he said. "And the numbers going through the yards today are a lot less than what the facility was designed for."
The council has good relationships with state member Adam Marshall and his federal counterpart Mark Coulton but the council already has a list of projects waiting for funding.
"We are actively pursuing benefits for our community," the mayor said. "Nothing is off the table but this is a complex issue."
Mr Johnson stressed the need for the saleyards to at least be profit neutral and not be a financial burden on ratepayers.
"The saleyards have not been able to collect significant income streams and we as councillors need to be fiscally conscious," he said.
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