South Albury farmer Daryl Gray said the site was set up for post-weighing with the modern facilities ensuring cattle’s weight loss in the pens was negligible.

Mr Gray showed two Australian Competition and Consumer Commission inspectors through the saleyards during yesterday’s sale.

The commission was at the sale responding to reports in The Border Mail about up to eight meat processors refusing to bid for or buy cattle at the first prime sale at Barnawartha North.

That was in response to their refusal to accept pre-sale weighing of cattle.

“The ACCC can confirm we are considering whether the alleged conduct of the processors may raise concerns under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010,” a spokesman said.

The processors’ absence last week resulted in a 10 to 20 cents a kilogram drop in the market, with a third of cattle being passed in.

Agents and operators decided to switch to post-sale weighing for yesterday’s prime sale.

The processors’ boycott has resulted in the Victorian Farmers Federation and NSW Farmers calling a meeting for next Monday.

“This is not just about the Barnawartha boycott,” VFF Livestock president Ian Feldtmann said.

“The reality is the boycott is just a symptom of processors gaining too much market muscle.”

Producer Bob Andrews, from Londrigan Beef and Lamb, estimated the annual cost to farmers from post-weighing at Barnawartha North was a “conservative” $4.5 million.

“If you did the calculations on the other 11 markets that are pre-weigh, you’re probably talking $40 to $50 million a year the farmer’s not going to get,” he said.

“The thing that I worry about here is it’s not only the farmer, it’s the community who loses.”

Mr Andrews said communities in towns large and small such as Wangaratta, Moyhu and Greta revolved around farm incomes.

But such post-sale weight losses were called into question by Mr Gray, a former producers’ representative at the old Wodonga saleyards.

“We were among a very, very small minority of saleyards throughout Australia that were still doing pre-weigh,” he said.

Mr Gray, from the property Willowbank, said Barnawartha North was set-up for post-weighing, a process that allowed for far less movement of cattle.

“With a pre-weigh there are three movements of the cattle, with a post-weigh there is only one,” he said.

“That means there is less stress on the cattle.”

Mr Gray said this meant cattle presented in top condition should lose little weight, if any.

He said this probably emphasised the need for producers to ensure their stock were in such condition for at least two weeks before presenting them for sale.

Monday’s meeting will be at the Barnawartha Soldiers Memorial Hall from 12.30pm to 2.30pm.