Naracoorte Regional Livestock Exchange to extend roof over cattle yards

Last week the Naracoorte Lucindale Council signed off on the major development which includes extending the curved roof over the selling pens by about 7000 square metres to cover the dirt yards out the back.

Also included will be upgrades to 10 delivery pens, six new unloading ramps and a new solids separation area for the truck wash used by those carting livestock in and out of the yards and also delivering cattle to nearby Teys abattoir.

It is the biggest project for the NRLE since the wooden selling pens were replaced with steel pens in 2018-2019.

RELATED: Naracoorte saleyards spends $800,000 on new selling pens

NRLE manager Rebecca Barry says the plan is to commence construction in February next year after the big spring yardings and December-January weaner sales.

"This next year we will see a huge amount of work in different aspects of the yards," she said.

"We are in the process of engaging contractors after the tender process, and know that lead times are affected by product availability so we can't put a timeline on the completion date but would expect works to be completed this financial year."

Ms Barry said it was an important step in remaining one of the state's premier livestock selling centres and attracting cattle from across SA and Victoria and a strong buying gallery.

In 2021/2022 financial year 88,905 head of cattle were yarded- up 5291 on the previous year.

Naracoorte Lucindale Council mayor Erika Vickery said it was an exciting project which had been greatly assisted by a $1.147 million federal government grant from the Local Roads & Community Infrastructure Fund.

"Council recognises this (the saleyards) is one of the most important pieces of infrastructure for our primary producers and primary industry which is the backbone of our district," she said.

Ms Vickery said the council recognised when the cattle selling pens were reconfigured that further upgrades would be needed and the time was right now to proceed.

"The better facilities the more attractive the yards are so they attract buyers and sellers from further afield and that is what has been happening," she said.

Thomas DeGaris & Clarkson director Rob Handbury who was the Naracoorte Combined Agents Association's chairman in 2021/22 said he had spent a lot of his year on ensuring smaller jobs at the yards were completed such as sprinklers in the walkways and a thicker layer of soft flooring.

But it was great to see the major project get the green light for good animal welfare and comfort of those attending sales.

"When it was muddy it was a battle to get buyers to come out the back, when the shed is up it will be so much more presentable and better on the cattle and staff," he said.

"In the summertime when we get those 40 degree days it is so much cooler under the roof."

It is a decade since the roof was put over the selling pens at the NRLE and once the roof is extended 4500 cattle will comfortably be able to be held undercover.

Mr Handbury said the planned new unloading ramps replacing the nearly 50 year old concrete ramps had been overdue to guarantee good OH&S.

They had put a lot of work into getting the design right, including consulting with livestock transporters.

Four two deck adjustable 11.75m unloading ramps will be installed, along with two smaller 3.3m long ramps catering for trailers and smaller rigid trucks' All the ramps will be positioned at a 45 degree angle to the yards.

"They are going to have another couple of metres than what the B-doubles have at the sheep ramps now because they think it is tight enough, " he said.

"The ramp on the (southern ) end will be suitable for a road train to rear unload."

Ms Barry said upgrading the sheep yards was also in the NLRE's 10-year plan and included the capacity to install sheep eID technology.

"We are happy to facilitate the introduction of eID but we would be seeking government funding for this, whether that is state or federal," she said.

"We would be silly not to incorporate eID knowing at some point in time it will be brought in but when we are working on such big capital projects such as this one it soon adds up, with eID we would be looking at another $1.5m just for the technology and infrastructure associated with this type of project."