OUR MISSION
Our mission is to strategically guide, promote, and augment the growth of an innovative, sustainable, and responsible Australian livestock market. Upholding the highest standards of honesty, integrity, and corporate governance through advocacy, industry support, and development.
SALEYARDS AUSTRALIA SNAPSHOT
Saleyards Australia is the peak representative body for the saleyard and lairage industry, dedicated to promoting and advancing the interests of saleyard and lairage owners and operators. In short, we are the industry's unified voice in government and stakeholder engagements at all levels. As the only truly national entity representing the industry, Saleyards Australia brings together the majority of industry participants across New South Wales, the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, and Western Australia. Our members provide livestock exchanges to around 1,200 stock and station agents and tens of thousands of livestock producers nationwide. Many members are local government entities, but Saleyards Australia also supports private operators, from small businesses to large-scale facilities. In total, annual transactions through our members' facilities exceed $5 billion. Founded in 2024, Saleyards Australia was formed through the historic amalgamation of the Australian Livestock Markets Association and the Australian Livestock Saleyards Association, uniting both associations under a single banner for the first time.
SALEYARD TERMINOLOGY
Saleyards and Lairages
What is a saleyard?
A saleyard is a physical auction market where buyers and sellers trade livestock such as cattle, sheep, pigs etc.
What is the difference between a saleyard/selling centre/livestock market?
Essentially, they are all the same thing.
What is a lairage?
A lairage is holding pens where livestock may be rested during transit to a market. Depending on the location, a lairage in this instance may also be referred to as transit yards or export yards.
A lairage is also term used for holding pens utilised to maintain a reserve of animals so that the processing line in the abattoir can operate at a constant speed and not be affected the variation in the rate of delivery of livestock.
Types of Sales
What is a store sale?
A store sale is a physical auction where stock are bought and sold. Most of the stock offered are for breeding or future finishing.
What is a prime sale?
A prime sale is a regular (often weekly) physical market auction where stock are said to be well finished enough for slaughter.
What is a fat sale?
A prime sale. The term fat sale is no longer used due to the perception by consumers as 'unhealthy'.