The past few years have seen a steady rise in cattle and sheep numbers shipped across Bass Strait, due mainly the drought conditions of the wider spread rural community. The sheep numbers going to the western Victoria area for slaughter have risen, several thousand sheep from all over Tasmania have been transported. Also store lambs to northern Victoria have been sourced from Tasmania but numbers have been steady. Fat lambs are also sourced from Tasmania this traditionally is a big part of our business.

We have also had a successful load of lambs to a saleyard in western Victoria, allowing more bidders for the vendor, resulting in better prices.  Store cattle have been bought to go to the Mansfield area and also the Gippsland region has been a strong cattle area over the last year or so.  We are also doing several thousand feeder cattle to feedlots in southern New South Wales, the feedlots have been forced to source cattle from further or additional areas because of the drought in the more traditional area.  Jap cattle and yearling cattle are being bought on the mainland and transported to Tasmania to sustain cattle numbers in abattoirs. Farms that have been severely hit by drought have also been finding agistment in Tasmania.

We would transport there cattle to Tassie and return them when things weren’t so bad enabling the farms and there blood lines to survive. The milking cows have also been a steady flow south into the state. Throw in a few alpacas and pigs here and there and the whole sector of livestock has been covered