Geelong Saleyards will reopen in January after $400,000 of repairs, City Hall has announced.
But the yards’ long-term future remains in doubt, with council administrators calling the fix an “interim” solution.
The decision to reopen follows a public outcry over the future of the saleyards, which the previous council had slated for a $5 million sell-off.
City Hall closed the 150-year-old yards earlier this year amid concerns that deteriorating overhead walkways could collapse.
Council administrators held public consultations after a City Hall report said repairs could cost $1 million.
But this week the administrators announced the facility would return to “acceptable health and safety standards over the next few months” for less than half the cost.
The decision followed “extensive community engagement” including a “workshop” with farmers last Friday, administrators’ chair Dr Kathy Alexander said.
The talks indicated the saleyards provided a niche service that helped meet “the social and learning needs” of farmers who would pay higher costs to use other yards, she said.
Dr Alexander highlighted feedback from “small stockholders” whose numbers were rising with a trend toward “peri-urban farming”.
The yards should remain open until a “suitable long-term option” was established, she said.
“We’re waiting for an independent report from the workshop’s facilitator and would also like to hear more from G21 and relevant partners in G21 councils before making a decision on the long-term options for stock sales for the region.
“We need to make a decision that adds to the network of regional stock sale options while also serving the broader agribusiness needs for the next 50 years.”
Dr Alexander said coming up with a long-term solution could take “at least a few years”.
“These interim measures will ensure the facility is safe to operate while providing the farming community with enough time to participate in, and prepare for, a long-term solution for small stockholders that advances agribusiness more broadly.”
