Multi-billion-dollar agriculture company Nutrien Ag Solutions and Elders have failed to meet deadlines for animal welfare upgrades to an aged livestock saleyard at Boyanup in WA’s South West.
On Wednesday night, Shire of Capel councillors voted behind closed doors to keep the facility open, despite operators failing to meet conditions outlined in a 10-year lease requiring installation of non-slip mats and a shade roof by March 26.
The 10-year lease agreement to improve animal welfare conditions was finalised in 2023.
Shire of Capel Chief Executive Gordon MacMile would not confirm the revised deadline for upgrades.
“Council has reinforced the requirements of the capital upgrade plan and will provide WALSA (WA Livestock Association) with additional time,” Mr MacMile said.
South West cattle veterinarian Don Finlay said he was dismayed by the decision to keep the facility open.
“I have clients who will not sell their cattle here because of heat, bad flooring and slippage,” Mr Finlay said.
Cattle veterinarian Don Finlay has been pushing for improvements to the saleyards for years. (ABC South West: Kate Forrester)
“I’d have to say these are the worse saleyards in the whole of Australia.”
Livestock farmers and Boyanup locals have long had concerns for the welfare of cattle sold through the yards.
Boyanup Saleyards is on crown land and held in a joint lease between the Shire of Capel, Nutrien Ag Solutions and Elders, which is a joint venture with the WA Livestock Salesmen’s Association (WALSA).
The ABC has contacted WALSA for comment.
Complaints have been made about the state of the Boyanup saleyard for years. (ABC Great Southern: Sophie Johnson)
Budget issues
In 2023, the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) ordered WALSA to better manage effluent at the site after residents discovered thousands of litres of raw sewage suspected to be leaking from the saleyard.
Mr MacMile said those effluent system upgrades interrupted the timeline for the animal welfare infrastructure upgrades and it was fair to extend the deadline.
“This will give them more time to resolve the waste and effluent license arrangements with DWER to try and bring down those costs,” he said.
“That will then provide them — through being more financial viable — the opportunity to have the funds to construct a roof.”
Numerous changes have been made in attempt to improve the saleyard conditions. (ABC Great Southern: Sophie Johnson)
Capel Shire President Doug Kitchen said closing the saleyards would be a worse outcome for animal welfare.
“For livestock to have to be transported to Mount Barker or Muchea, that would have more negative animal welfare outcomes than lack of shade above the Boyanup saleyards,”
he said.
Boyanup is one of the three major cattleyards in Western Australia, alongside Mount Barker and Muchea. (ABC Rural: Jessica Hayes)
Mr Kitchen said WALSA had already made significant efforts to improve conditions by installing heat loggers in livestock pens and providing more access to water troughs.
“All the changes that were required through the operational requirements have been implemented,” he said.
Farmers say saleyards are too old
WA Farmers Vasse zone president Mike Norton said local livestock producers were concerned about the aging infrastructure and animal welfare standards at the facility.
“The existing site should have been shut 10 years ago, but unfortunately, WALSA and the Capel shire have tried to persevere here,” he said.
“It’s now in danger of being shut down by the environmentalists and the animal welfare activists.”
Mr Norton said the shire’s plans to move the saleyards to its proposed new agricultural precinct should be fast-tracked.
Mr Kitchen cited the agricultural precinct as one of the top five infrastructure projects endorsed by the South West Zone of Local Governments.
In a statement to the ABC, a spokesperson for Agricultural Minister Jackie Jarvis said she had met the Shire of Capel about its proposed agribusiness precinct and would continue to follow its progress.
“The state government understands the Shire of Capel aims to complete a feasibility study and business case by mid-2025,” the spokesperson said.
