Public weighbridge made available

Council made the aggregates site weighbridge available after a submission from a livestock owner questioned why the saleyards was the only weighing venue in town.

A fee of $7.70 per head will now be applied to vehicles using the public weighbridge for trucked livestock.  

Local cattle producer David Donnelly questioned the reasons behind council only providing the council owned saleyard for livestock weighing.

“It may not be always possible to have a saleyard scales operator on hand when cattle arrive for weighing and in circumstances where large numbers of cattle are trucked (50 to 80 head), apart from the considerable cost per head, there will be a considerable time delay in the weighing process,” he said. 

“It should be the livestock producer’s choice as to how stock is sold and there should be no directives by council imposing undue impositions.

“A public weighbridge should be available to the public to weigh whatever produce or material that they wish and I think it is quite inappropriate for council to use its position of power and authority to direct business from one council owned entity to another.”

Council General manager Hein Basson said the new operational plan will allow the use of the council public weighbridge.

“The amendment to the draft 2016/17 schedule of fees and charges within the operational plan to include a fee for the weighing of vehicles carrying livestock at council’s public weighbridge should rectify any time delay for the movement of livestock that may have occurred in the past,” he said.

“This amendment will provide producers with a choice as to how their livestock are to be sold and should address the concerns raised.”