!!!February 1, 2024
Locally owned and independent
The Northern Rivers Times
NEWS 21
Casino saleyards back in action with Outcross at the helm Cattle sales are set to resume at Northern Rivers Livestock Exchange (NRLX) after seven months of uncertainty, with the new operator, Outcross Agri-Services, launching its five-year tenure next Friday (2 February). Casino-district livestock agents have welcomed the appointment, which brings NRLX into the Outcross Agri-Services fold alongside key selling centres including Roma, Blackall, Dubbo, Forbes, Yass, Moss Vale, Mortlake, Hamilton, Yea, Naracoorte and Mt Gambier. Andrew Summerville, Casino Auctioneers Association Incorporated (CAAI) president said negotiations with Outcross Agri-Services were professional, and the company’s deep understanding of the
livestock industry helped all parties reach an agreement promptly. “This is a well-timed outcome as many producers sell lines of calves in the first six months of the year, and it will allow feature sales to progress as normal,” Mr Summerville said. “The CAAI is looking forward to the future and thanks everyone for their support over the last seven months.” Richmond Valley Council acting general manager, Angela Jones said Outcross AgriServices’ experience and expertise were exactly what Council was looking for to ensure NRLX continued to grow and prosper and retain its reputation as the leading saleyard facility in northern NSW. Ms Jones said Council had a vision for the
Tom Newsome, Outcross Agri-Services managing director is the new operator of NRLX at Casino.
facility to become a modern saleyards for the benefit of all stakeholders and ratepayers, which
met industry standards for safety, animal welfare and environmental management and
continued to achieve top returns for vendors and quality cattle for buyers. She said having Outcross Agri-Services on board to guide NRLX’s next phase was a win-win for all stakeholders. “NRLX is the largest cattle selling centre in the Northern Rivers and is a huge contributor to the local economy,” Ms Jones said. “Benefits flow to local growers by having a facility close to their operations, stock and station agents who use the yards to run their businesses, transport operators who move stock and purchase fuel, locals who work there, and the businesses who support the NRLX operations and its users. “Council is confident the team at Outcross Agri-Services will
continue the NRLX’s growth as the premier saleyards for NSW.” Tom Newsome, Outcross Agri-Services managing director said the company was pleased to be involved in rebooting NRLX and shoring up the centre’s future as a premier livestock selling centre. “Casino is an important location, drawing cattle in significant numbers and buyers from all major processors to compete on a throughput of up to 130,000 head per year,” Mr Newsome said. “Outcross is looking forward to operating NRLX. It’s a fantastic facility, one of best in the nation, and we believe we can operate efficiently to the benefit of vendors and buyers.”
NSW Environment Protection Authority statement: The Tweed and Weddin Shire Councils have been awarded more than $655,000 in grants as part of flood recovery programs being delivered by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA). New South Wales experienced severe storms and flooding in 2022 around the Hawkesbury River, South Coast, Central West and up to the Queensland border. This led to the generation of significant amounts of flood debris across NSW and the Australian government declared many parts of NSW a natural disaster area. The EPA has led several clean-up and recovery programs to ensure the generated waste is removed in a safe, effective, and
efficient manner. The grants are being awarded under Round 1 of the Illegal Dumping and Flood Waste Program to help councils cleanup illegally dumped flood waste, including asbestos or other hazardous materials, and any remaining flood generated waste. The EPA is encouraging the reuse and recycling of waste where possible as well as the installation of illegal dumping deterrence measures. The Program follows the EPA’s shoreline clean-up which has already removed more than 24,338 cubic meters of eligible flood debris across NSW since the beginning of March last year, which is equivalent to almost 10 Olympic sized swimming pools of
debris. Tweed Shire Council • Two grants worth $583, 141. • The first grant is facilitating the demolition and removal of flood damaged structures and clean-up flood waste at Reserve Creek Road. Council land, on River Street in Tweed Shire Council, will be turned into a continuation of the green space located along the river, allowing the community to safely use and enjoy the area for recreational activities. • Their second grant will cover clean-up of other flood waste including bulky waste, dumped household waste and natural flood debris from the Council owned land. Weddin Shire Council • One grant worth
$72 500. • In Weddin Shire Council flood damaged security cameras will be replaced and fencing and locks installed at two waste facilities to prevent illegal dumping. Quotes from the NSW Environment Protection Authority Director Arminda Ryan: “Communities have experienced tough times in the past couple of years and it is pleasing to be able to move to this next stage of clean-up efforts.” “Unfortunately, during the troubling flood periods some waste was left behind or not disposed of correctly and this is an excellent opportunity to safely remove remaining waste, some of which is hazardous.” “The EPA’s Illegal
Dumping and Flood Waste Program provides councils with grants to help clean-up this illegally dumped waste and put in place measures to try and prevent future dumping.” Tweed: “The grants to Tweed Shire Council will help provide the community with greater
access to recreational areas and also have great benefit for the local environment.” Weddin: “The grant to Weddin Shire Council for security cameras and fencing will help reduce Illegal dumping which can be damaging to the environment, health and the local community.”
A Great day out fishing Jake Mitchell Doody 15 years old from Darwin who loves fishing. Visiting his grandparents in Casino he decided to have a little fish in their dam using a mussel and caught himself a little EEL had a photo taken, then placed the eel back in the water doing the right thing.
