BORDER cattle producers have received a multi-million dollar windfall, thanks to Australia’s controversial live beef export trade.
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Almost 3000 steers went through the Wod-onga saleyards on Tuesday and early yesterday, with the stock destined for Turkey.
Based on recent prices of $700-$1000 at Wodonga, the value of the Border stock headed overseas could be anywhere from $2 million to $3 million.
In January, big feedlots and northern NSW farmers spent almost $10 million at the Wodonga yards in three days.
Last year, beef producers had to contend with a month-long federal government suspension of the $320 million live export trade to Indonesia.
It was put in place after the ABC’s Four Corners program aired shocking images of Australian cattle being slaughtered cruelly in Indonesian abattoirs.
The industry has also been targeted by animal activists, including a protest in Sydney last month against the federal government’s new live export regulations.
At least 65 sellers from the Border region had 1198 steers go through the Wodonga Saleyards yesterday, with up to a dozen saleyards and agent workers on the job.
Saleyards manager James Thompson said producers’ cattle delivered to the yards had to be penned in separate vendor lots, before being loaded on to trucks.
Mr Thompson said the large undertaking had gone well, especially given that the market also hosted its regular fat cattle sale at the same time.
On Tuesday, the sorting of 1624 cattle to go on to trucks destined for Adelaide and Charlton for the export order began at 2am.
Border agents — Corcoran Parker and Elders, but also other operators — were asked to identify possible vendors by the company Livestock Shipping Services, which provided co-ordination at the yards.
A Livestock Shipping Services representative declined to comment and agents were similarly tight lipped.
Mr Thompson said he was contacted on the impending sale about three weeks ago.
“The cattle started to come in on Monday afternoon,” he said early yesterday.
“Anywhere up to nine trucks have been collecting the cattle this morning.
“We’ve had approximately 660 cattle loaded on trucks already today.
“More stock will be going to Charlton today.”
Mr Thompson said the use of the Wodonga yards for such an exercise was rare.
“This is the first big shipment of cattle in the three years I have been here,” he said.
“It was quite a big job.”