The ground was finally broken on the much anticipated $8 million redevelopment of the Inverell Regional Livestock Exchange (IRLX) on Wednesday.
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“There’s probably no one happier than me,” site operations manager Steven O’Brien said. A long time coming, he said the project would “put Inverell in a very good place” for the future.
“It’s a great day for the community and local area as a whole. We’re well underway to getting a new facility up and running,” he said.
It was a special day for director of Frame Rural Agencies Philip Frame, who has been a familiar face at the saleyards since day one.
“These yards were originally built in 1961, and we were fortunate enough to sell the first pen of cattle in the original yards here,” he said.
The upgrades will include new undercover soft floor selling pens, expanded selling and feeding areas and a 24 hour drive through truck-wash facility.
Mr Frame said the soft floors and covers will be a positive for vendors, preventing cattle shrinkage.
“Especially in the winter here when it’s really cold and they’re on concrete, they shrink a bit. But on soft floors with the top over them, it’ll be a lot warmer for them, so the cattle will present better,” he said.
Mr O’Brien said the changes would lead to a significant improvement in animal welfare and staff safety.
“They’ll be on a soft floor the night before they’re sold and while they’re sold, back into clean water delivery yards with access to feed bunks; and (with) the staff there’ll be a number of improvements to operational activities to remove the interaction between staff and animals on the ground to a large degree,” he said.
“It’s a big win-win for occupational health and safety, and animal welfare.”
Earthworks have begun on the redevelopment, which is expected to be finished mid-way through 2019. Initial work includes constructing additional holding and feed yards. Tenders will soon be called, with a preference for local contractors.
Mr O’Brien said it was hard to put an exact figure on the expected increase in numbers, but suggested it could be as high as 25 per cent. He said employment opportunities were “definitely on the cards” as IRLX hopes to draw more cattle to the facility and hold additional sale days.
“It’ll be a great benefit to the town, the community, the agents, vendors, buyers and also create some greater efficiencies for transporters and people wanting to bring cattle in and so forth. It’ll save them a bit of expense on freight costs, put a bigger load together and send them in,” he said.
AAM Investment Group managing director Garry Edwards said the redevelopment would deliver a modern facility “that will underpin the region’s livestock industry for decades to come”.
“(It will) deliver improved animal presentation and marketability leading to increased buyer competition and greater profitability for the regions producers,” he said.
Mr Frame said Inverell can expect to see more cattle from Moree, Goondiwindi, Texas, Glen Innes and Tenterfield once the redevelopment is finished.
“The buyers want them all in one place in one day, not five days of selling in little places. It’ll be a big plus for the Inverell agents,” he said.
“It’ll be better to handle the cattle, we’ll have better facilities in the delivery yards and IRLX have got a process where they can bring cattle in here and wean them for vendors and the bulk bunk feeding, they’ve got that installed too, so it’ll be a lot better.”
Despite the extent of the redevelopment, IRLX promises their capacity will not be significantly diminished during construction. Early works are not interfering with the current facilities, and will provide additional holding pens. The development will also be in two stages; taking a pause during next year’s weaner season to allow for busy sales.
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