Livestock SA welcomes funding for Yorkey’s Crossing facility

Livestock SA has today welcomed the announcement by the State Government that it will fund a decoupling facility, including a livestock transfer tower, at Yorkey’s Crossing near Port Augusta.

The announcement comes after many years of Livestock SA advocating for this facility for the pastoral regions. It will play a vital role in improving welfare and safety for both livestock and people.

Livestock SA Chief Executive Officer Andrew Curtis said the organisation was pleased with the outcome, which recognised the dire need for such a facility in the region.

“Producers and livestock transporters have been in need of a facility of this type at Yorkey’s Crossing for many years,” Mr Curtis said.

“Now that it has been announced, it’s important that work begins immediately to ensure the best possible access for northern SA and Northern Territory producers to transport their cattle south.

“This is because as we come into winter, the flow of cattle from these northern regions increases significantly, so it’s important to ensure they can have improved access to southern markets sooner rather than later.

“The certification of organic production systems in central Australia has increased the amount of premium cattle seeking to be shipped to markets in the south. When added to the opening of the Chinese live cattle market, it means there is an expectation that more cattle from southern parts of the Northern Territory and South Australian pastoralists will come through SA, via Yorkey’s Crossing, so this investment will ensure that we can maximise the opportunities for them for market access both domestically and internationally.”

Mr Curtis said the inclusion of a livestock transfer tower meant it would be far easier to transfer cattle between transportation trailers – a key improvement for animal safety and for drivers’ work health and safety.

Triple road trains and other configurations up to 53.5 metres long will have access to the facility, which will enable transport operators to reconfigure triple road train combinations to semi-trailers or B doubles.

The facility is an initiative of the 90-Day Change@SA Project, Improving Road Transport for the Agriculture Industry.