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 fve-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 frst 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 facility to become a modern saleyards for the beneft 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.

“Benefts fow 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 confdent 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 signifcant 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 effciently to the beneft of vendors and buyers.”