High prices steer strong demand at Charters Towers saleyards

Good prices and strong supply have led to a higher-than-average turnout at the weekly sales at the Charters Towers Dalrymple (H.M. Clarke) Saleyards.

Saleyards portfolio Councillor Bernie Robertson said they have been yarding cattle from right across northern Australia.

“The agents have certainly been busy this year,” he said.

“We’ve seen large volumes of cattle coming from not only around Charters Towers but also from Burke, Mareeba, Camooweal, Lawn Hill, Clermont, the Northern Territory, and everywhere in between.

“The Saleyards have been so busy that the team has had to regularly hold additional weekly sales,” Cr Robertson said.

Last month the facility yarded 581 prime heifers, the highest number for the year, with combined Prime and Store cattle sale numbers consistently approaching 4,000 head.

The Dalrymple (H.M.Clarke) Saleyards is owned and operated by the Charters Towers Regional Council.

Cr Robertson said Council is currently in the process of developing a masterplan for the redevelopment of this iconic facility.

“The cattle industry is a major sector for the Charters Towers Region and Council is committed to helping support and grow that,” he said.

“The masterplan is currently in the early stages but will look at issues like heavy vehicle access, loading and unloading of cattle, and upgrading critical infrastructure.

“Council will engage with stakeholders once preliminary drawings are available.

“These upgrades will help to process a larger volume of cattle and further improve animal welfare while also supporting regional economic development and long-term local and regional business growth,” Cr Robertson said.

With only a few sales left on the calendar, the Charters Towers Regional Council is busy planning the maintenance shut down period at the Saleyards.

“We have the last stud sale of the year this Friday (27 November) and three Prime and Store sales scheduled before we shut down in the second half of December,” Cr Robertson said.

“We will use that shutdown period to carry out some necessary maintenance work and prepare the saleyard for what we expect to be a busy 2021.”