A livestock agent who copped a three-month ban from a Victorian saleyard for "threatening abuse and unacceptable language" has broken his silence, claiming he was acting in the best interest of his client.
TB White & Sons agent Xavier Bourke, Ballarat, was handed a three-month ban from entering the Central Victoria Livestock Exchange at Miners Rest after a dispute with the manager of the complex last month.
In an interview with Stock & Land on Wednesday, Mr Bourke said the ban was a result of a disagreement over a pen which had been deemed not fit for use due to a leaking water trough.
In the interview, he admitted to swearing at the manager of the saleyard, but defended his actions because "we try our best and we're always looking after our clients".
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He said a fault with the pen had been raised with him by saleyard staff in the hours leading up to the March 18 sale, but said CVLX staff did nothing to repair the leak or re-bark the pen despite promising to do so.
"I was told by the manager of the yards to 'sell the cattle in the last pen of the day', despite the cattle being first-lane cattle," he said.
"The financial impact on the client if the cattle were sold in the last pen of the day, which they weren't, could have been a $300-$400 loss on each of the 18 head of cattle."
In an exchange over the phone, Mr Bourke said he told the saleyard manager: "You have no f------g idea how this show works", which he admits ultimately led to his three-month ban.
"The words I spoke were out of frustration but looking back [I] should have chosen my words better," he said.
"But I spoke up for what I thought was right and we always endeavour to ensure our clients achieve the best prices possible.
"The vendor was very disappointed that they had to get moved to another position in the sale."
Mr Bourke said the issue about the faulty pen was raised with him initially at 5.30am on the morning of the March 18 sale.
He said CVLX staff told him the pen would be fixed and re-chipped prior to the 10am start.
"At 9am, I walked past the pen and nothing had been fixed and a sign had been put on it 'not fit for use'," he said.
"I called the manager and vented my frustration due to no communication getting relayed to either myself or our company that this problem was not going to be fixed."
Last week, a letter seen by Stock & Land to Mr Bourke's lawyers from the operators of the saleyard, Regional Infrastructure (RI), allege Mr Bourke was first warned about his behaviour in March 2021 after allegedly using "threatening, abusive and unacceptable language".
A March 2021 letter from RI's legal counsel warned Mr Bourke would be banned for three months if further incidents took place.
"After the three-month ban, he will need to provide us with medical evidence that he has actively addressed his anger management demonstrating that he will no longer expose our employees to a health and safety risk," the 2021 letter read.
The most recent letter to Mr Bourke's lawyers, Heinz Law, dated April 4, 2022, alleged a similar incident took place on March 18 this year involving Mr Bourke and staff at the CVLX where "he used threatening, abusive and unacceptable language towards an AAM employee".
"After careful consideration... RI issued the March 28, 2022 notice notifying a refusal of entry [into CVLX] to Mr Bourke for three months," the letter read.
The parent company of RI, AAM Investment Group, manages the Miners Rest site.
The company operates several yards throughout Australia, including the Northern Victoria Livestock Exchange at Barnawartha.
AAM regional manager James Thompson said the company was unable to make comment on Mr Bourke's claims as it was a confidential matter.
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