{"id":199042,"date":"2018-01-21T16:20:55","date_gmt":"2018-01-21T06:20:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=199042"},"modified":"2020-07-16T20:21:32","modified_gmt":"2020-07-16T10:21:32","slug":"aam-to-lease-coolabunia-saleyards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2018\/01\/21\/aam-to-lease-coolabunia-saleyards\/","title":{"rendered":"AAM To Lease Coolabunia Saleyards"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
The Council has accepted a tender to lease the Coolabunia Saleyards, above, and three associated dipping facilities from the same company that operates the Murgon Saleyards<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

January 21, 2018<\/strong><\/p>\n

Coolabunia saleyards will be operated by AAM Investment Group after the South Burnett Regional Council accepted the company’s tender at its meeting last Wednesday.<\/p>\n

The 15-year-old company owns saleyards in NSW, Victoria and Queensland, and operates the Murgon saleyards (now known as the South Burnett Livestock Exchange).<\/p>\n

Last year, AAM says it handled more than $1.5 billion in livestock transactions nationwide.<\/p>\n

Council received three tenders to operate the saleyards after calling for expressions of interest mid-way through last year.<\/p>\n

AAM’s tender was accepted by councillors.<\/p>\n

Mayor Keith Campbell said the Council took the view that operating the saleyards was no longer a core responsibility, since the main beneficiaries were people involved in the cattle trade.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“We have the facilities here and are happy to see them used, but we think it’s likely that people who have a commercial interest in the livestock industry will do a better job operating them,” he said.<\/p>\n

The Mayor said AAM had assured the Council existing sale dates would not change in the immediate future.<\/p>\n

The company will also undertake some safety improvements to enhance animal welfare, and plans to seek feedback from users about changing some processes and improving facilities at the yards.<\/p>\n

As part of the tender, AAM will also take over the operation of Council dip facilities at East Nanango, Wondai and Proston.<\/p>\n

The lease of the saleyards is expected to save the Council about $100,000 per year in administration and maintenance costs.<\/p>\n