The Scenic Rim Regional Council has come out and confirmed the lease on the Beaudesert Helen Street pig and calf sale yards will come to an end March 30, and there is no plan to renew the lease.
At Tuesday’s Council meeting, Division 1 Councillor Derek Swanborough raised this and confirmed the lease end date, despite it not being on the meeting agenda.
Cr Swansborough was also the only councillor at the last ordinary meeting to vote against a motion to appeal the Heritage List status of the sale yard.
A recent engineering assessment referenced in the council report highlighted concerns with compliance issues with the structure’s design, water and wastewater management, safety (animal and human interactions), humane animal management practices, and facilities for sellers and buyers.
Under the current lease arrangements, the building does meet minimum structural standards to allow pig and calf sales to continue until the end of March 2021.
When Cr Swansborough brought up the sale yards during the meeting he was met with frustration from the Mayor, who said he would need time to think about it because the matter was not on the agenda.
“I’m not sure how we’ll manage this in the minutes without messing up the reports,” Mayor Christensen said.
“But as an exceptional circumstance I’ll ask the GMS environmental sustainability to provide a verbal response.”
The council officer then provided this response to Cr Swansborough:
“I’m not currently in a position to provide a fully informed update on the matter due to the current situation of the sale yard facility and to ensure not to compromise Council’s obligations as part of the process resolved at the last ordinary meeting.”
There were no further comments made at the meeting as to what will happen next with the sale yards.
The next fortnightly sale on March 22 will be the last one at Beaudesert sale yards.
