Author: Everard Himmelreich
Publication: Yass Tribune
Date: June 8, 2016

Identifying a good business opportunity led a NSW-based group to propose the construction of a regional saleyards at Mortlake, group spokesman Brendan Abbey says.

Mr Abbey, a beef producer in Yass, said the group had engaged consultants to plan the proposed development but had not yet lodged a planning application with Moyne Shire.

Mr Abbey is part of a consortium that has built the $15 million regional saleyard at Yass, due to open in mid-August.

The closure of the Yass saleyards helped spur the consortium of six families from the area to build a much bigger replacement for the closed facility.

“People had been transporting their stock to Goulburn, Wagga Wagga, and other places, which was inconvenient, expensive, and losing money for the local economy,” Mr Abbey told the Yass Tribune.

“The saleyards in surrounding towns, which are all council-owned, were in a state of decline and we wanted to reinvigorate sheep and cattle sales by providing a local option that would surpass anything being offered in the region,” he said.

The consortium’s new South Eastern Livestock Exchange has a strong focus on being environmentally and animal friendly and exceeding occupational health and safety standards.

The new saleyards includes offices for all agents, a full canteen area and extensive undercover selling and holding yards.

Original Article: http://www.yasstribune.com.au/story/3954028/local-consortiums-southern-proposal/?cs=1554