WVLX saleyards manager Tim Nowell said between 1500-2000 prime cattle from within a 120 kilometre radius of Mortlake would be auctioned at its first sale.

Mr Nowell said he and the WVLX Stock Agents Association president Bruce Redpath of Elders Mortlake had met with numerous meat companies about what the new saleyards had to offer and had received “fantastic support” from them.

He said the new saleyards were also being supported by 10 livestock agencies from across western Victoria and South Australia including ones in Mount Gambier, Hamilton, Colac and Camperdown and livestock agency networks such as Elders. 

WVLX’s opening is expected to put those other south-west saleyards under financial pressure as its aim to put through 200,000 cattle a year will take cattle away from them.

Mr Nowell said the company decided to set up a saleyards at Mortlake that would serve a wide region.

The new saleyards offers 416 selling pens with a soft floor, five drafting facilities and seven weighbridges.

Mr Nowell said he was confident that the first sale would be a success.

“Up until the first sale we’ll be doing a lot of testing to make sure everything is up to scratch, including more staff training, trial runs and last minute tweaks,” he said. 

The first sale will include an official opening at 8.30am followed by a charity auction of six head of cattle donated by producers and agents.

Money raised will go to the Let’s Talk Foundation, Abbeyfield, Country Education Foundation and the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

The first store cattle sale at the new saleyards will be on Thursday, February 1, with further store sales from March held on the second Thursday of the month. 

The second Thursday of the month pattern for store sales from March is a change from an earlier plan to hold them on the second Friday of the month.