Despite the shock arrest of Western Victoria Livestock Exchange (WVLX) director Rohan Arnold this week, the saleyards said its staff morale and team spirit were high in anticipation of the facility’s opening on Monday.
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WVLX manager Tim Nowell said staff had put the shock about Mr Arnold’s arrest behind them and were focused on ensuring the saleyards’ first sale on Monday was a success.
About 2500 cattle are expected to be offered for sale on Monday which Mr Nowell said was “a fantastic commitment and vote of confidence for WVLX.”
WVLX director Rohan Arnold was one of three Australians arrested in Belgrade this week in a police raid that followed a joint Serbian and Australian police investigation into a cocaine smuggling ring.
About 2500 cattle will be offered for sale at Mortlake on Monday which is a fantastic commitment and vote of confidence for WVLX.”
- Tim Nowell
The investigations followed the seizure by police of 1.2 tonnes of cocaine in Sydney last year in a container of steel tubes that arrived from China.
Mr Arnold was the public face in the south-west of the company that built the new state-of-the-art saleyards at Mortlake.
He was based in the south-west during the past year while the new saleyards were constructed.
Mr Arnold has been involved in the steel and engineering industries for more than 20 years.
WVLX Stock Agents Association president Bruce Redpath, from Elders Mortlake, said the cattle for Monday’s sale were coming from throughout western Victoria.
He said while the prices to be paid at Mortlake were expected to be relatively good, they would be down on the record prices paid 12 months ago.
He said prices could tempered by the annual glut of cattle that occurred in January and a fire that disrupted processing at a large abattoir at Murray Bridge in South Australia.
