THE State government and Shire of Capel have reached a "sensible outcome" in signing a 10-year lease extension for the Boyanup Saleyards, following a commitment by its operators to complete upgrades so the facility will continue to meet modern animal welfare standards.
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The upgrades were made conditional by the Shire in renewing the lease agreement with saleyard operators, Nutrien Ag Solutions and Elders.
With the appropriate investment, WA Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan said the lease extension was "the economic and sensible thing to do" as the livestock industry underwent a "transitional period" in relation to the use of saleyards and the way in which people sell their cattle.
"We know that the percentage of animals that are going through saleyards is reducing and we can expect that this is a trend that will continue in the coming years," Ms MacTiernan said.
"It's not that there's a decline in sales activity, but many more people are doing direct sales and some people are heavily into online sales.
"To me it makes sense that while that change is still happening, rather than investing in a very expensive - up to $20 million for a new saleyard, to put the investment in and make this one work for the next 10 years while we see how the industry is transitioning."
Improvements already underway at the saleyards include reduced penning densities and the attendance of a private veterinarian on hot days, a hospital pen and sawdust in yards, as well as altering the start time on sale days to avoid extreme heat.
The new lease agreement also covers the provision of pen shade, electrical, waste management and pen upgrades, as well as improvements to vehicle access, flooring and new ablution facilities.
"Through the department we will also be investing in a new automated weather station here (at Boyanup Saleyards) to get real time information, so if there are critical local weather conditions we can respond," Ms MacTiernan said.
The State government has also purchased data loggers to monitor environmental conditions to aid the yard's pen management.
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Nutrien Livestock State manager Leon Giglia said he wanted to highlight that the Boyanup Saleyards were not non-compliant and that the new approvals and licensing processes for the new lease agreement were already underway.
"There is not a regulation that isn't in place or being practiced - even to the extent that we've made some adjustments to our saleyards capacities here and we've made adjustments to our sale times for summer," Mr Giglia said.
"Whilst we've been waiting for the lease to be signed, we've been doing all of the investigative work behind the scenes - environmental impact studies, the need to deal with effluent, our methods and processes of cleaning - those types of things are all in place.
"We work on fortnightly meetings with the Shire and we are tracking as well as we can."
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development compliance officers will continue to inspect conditions and animals at Boyanup on sale days and monitor critical control points at the facility.
While acknowledging the importance of maintaining an operating saleyard for the South West, Liberal MP for the South West Region Steve Thomas repeated the State opposition's calls for new saleyards to be opened in the region, not too far from the current site, when the lease expires in 2032.
"I strongly disagree with the Labor Party that cattle sales will all go online in coming years - in fact I think this is merely an excuse not to finish the job of delivering the Regional Saleyards Strategy that all sides of politics supported for 20 years," Mr Thomas said.
"That strategy was to build new yards in Muchea (replacing Midland), Katanning (sheep only) and Boyanup (cattle) and to upgrade the Great Southern Saleyards in Mt Barker.
"The other three goals have all been achieved, but Boyanup has been left to languish, forgotten by the State but desperately required by farmers.
"So again, I call on the State to use the time granted by this lease extension to plan and build new replacement yards in the same region, but out of the coastal plain with its high water tables.
"This needs to be completed within 10 years before the new lease expires."
In November last year, an investigation by the Austral ian Competition and Consumer Commission found the Boyanup Saleyards arrangement, which excludes independent livestock agencies from selling cattle at the saleyard, did not breach competition law, clearing the way for the lease on the Boyanup Saleyards to be extended.
