Regional Livestock Exchanges (RLX) has welcomed the news it is the preferred operator of Shepparton Regional Saleyards, and will now work with Greater Shepparton City Council to finalise the lease to operate the site from January next year.
The council wants RLX, which operates nine other saleyards in the eastern states, to run Shepparton Regional Saleyards under a 10-year lease that includes an additional four options of five years.
The decision was made behind closed doors, because of commercial considerations, at a council meeting on Tuesday, July 23.
RLX chief executive officer Brett Freer said Shepparton Regional Saleyards was a significant regional stock selling complex and the announcement of RLX as preferred operator was a huge vote of confidence in the professionalism, capital and other improvements that the company brings to the sites it operates.
“RLX look forward to working with council to finalise terms of operation and with all Shepparton Regional Saleyards site users on improving operations for the benefit of the whole community,” Mr Freer said.
“RLX has enormous confidence in the Australian agricultural industry and plans to continue developing regionally significant and modern livestock facilities in strategic locations, chosen for stock numbers, transport efficiency, and long-term sustainability.”
The saleyards has been running at a healthy profit in recent years and is currently managed under a contract to Australian Saleyards Management, which runs out at the end of the year.
The saleyards has a million-dollar turnover and sees a throughput of about 1200 cattle and more than 1000 sheep weekly.
Greater Shepparton City Council made the announcement following its July meeting in what was the culmination of a public expression of interest process that included input from community stakeholders through council’s Saleyards Advisory Committee.
RLX operates saleyards at Carcoar, Inverell, Singleton, Tamworth and Yass in NSW; Gracemere in Queensland; and Ballarat, Barnawartha and Mortlake in Victoria.
RLX is owned by Sydney investment company, Palisade Investment Partners.
The company is the joint owner of Geelong Port and the Macarthur wind farm, which has 140 wind turbines. A subsidiary acquired six port terminals from GrainCorp at Pinkenba (Queensland), Coode Island (Victoria), Fremantle (Western Australia), Largs Bay (South Australia), Devonport (Tasmania) and North Laverton (Victoria).