Markets for Small Scale Livestock Producers

Regional Livestock Exchanges

• Increased marketing options have led to a gradual reduction in saleyards throughput across Victoria and Australia. This has been somewhat exacerbated by the COVID pandemic when many of the livestock exchange market days were held online.

• Some producers, agents and buyers believe that selling over the hooks, selling on-farm and selling direct to abattoirs does not give farmers the same understanding and insights into the market that comes from attending saleyards.

• Some saleyards offer sales for prime lambs, sheep and mutton, store lambs and (occasionally) elite breeding stock.

• Some saleyards accept small livestock numbers (trailer-loads) from producers

• Some saleyards offer agistment for stock.

Additional Information.

Biosecurity, Agriculture Victoria: https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/biosecurity

Livestock and animals, Agriculture Victoria: https://www.vff.org.au/fact-sheet-category/farm-safety/

Farm safety, Victorian Farmers Federation: https://www.vff.org.au/fact-sheet-category/farm-safety/

Farm management, Agriculture Victoria: https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/farm-management

Climate and weather, Agriculture Victoria: https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/climate-and-weather

Technological changes and a shift towards paddock-to-plate.

Supply chains have multiplied the options for selling sheep livestock, and traditional saleyard days now compete with a range of options such as

• On-farm sales and mini-sales events

• Separately marketed sales of breeding, stud and elite genetic stock

• Over-the-hooks sales through processor Contract processing

• Online sales

• Direct contracting by growers with processors, butchers and/or meat manufacturers