Photos of a dead sheep on social media sparked concerns over animal welfare. Photo: Griffith Free Local News.
Griffith councillor and farmer Scott Groat is pushing for shade sails, fence repairs and more water troughs at the town’s livestock saleyards, after outrage over the condition of sheep during the recent heatwave was aired on social media.
The Facebook page Griffith Free Local News posted a photo of a dead sheep at the saleyards on Sunday 25 January, a day on which temperatures hit a high of 45 degrees.
Mayor Doug Curran and council staff responded by moving the animals back into a paddock with feed and water.
Now, Cr Groat has pushed for facility upgrades ahead of a meeting of a council-run committee that oversees the saleyards, emailing a list of items that have been added to the agenda for discussion.
“The biggest priority is shade for the animals and the humans, due to dehydration issues,” Cr Groat said.
“We’ve had a couple of export buyers who have threatened to leave due to dehydrated lambs, so there needs to be shade and plenty of water, especially during a heatwave.”
Griffith saleyards are a council-owned regulated venue on Kidman Way where livestock is bought and sold.
Cr Groat said the exact reason why the sheep posted on social media died was unkown.
“As a farmer, I can tell you that it’s an everyday occurrence. You can bring a lot of healthy sheep into a yard and some won’t be able to handle the stress and have heart attacks,” he said.
The lack of shade at the saleyards is to be addressed. Photo: Griffith Free Local News.
But he added upgrades were urgently needed to improve animal welfare.
“The sheep shouldn’t have been yarded at that time of day, but if we had better facilities it wouldn’t be an issue. So it’s a priority to get a roof over the holding yards,” he said.
“People running the yards are doing their best, but you can imagine how hot it would be on concrete when it was 45 degrees; it’s a lot different to being on a dirt paddock.”
Cr Groat said a new round of federal and state funding for southern basin councils to offset the impact of water buybacks might be an opportunity to enhance the saleyards.
“We have a masterplan for a saleyard roof at a cost of $1.8 million, and are putting in for the next round of funding, which is due within the next three weeks,” he said.
“We are also pushing for more bathroom facilities; we only have one toilet and shower which is ridiculous where there are up to 40 agents using the place. You often have them arriving at night and lining up to use the amenities.”
A full list of Cr Groat’s concerns and issues for discussion at the Saleyards Committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday 10 February can be found on the Griffith City Council website.
