Re-open the sale yards

COVID-19 shut down our sale yards but now we desperately need to have these re-opened, particularly in areas like Hawke's Bay where severe drought is having a major impact.
Hawke's Bay farmers are currently facing what may be the worst drought in history, and the situation is compounded by the loss of the sale yards - an avenue of selling that the majority of farmers know well and have ultilised in the past. Other regions are also under significant feed pressure and would benefit from sale yards re-opening.
Supplementary feed is getting harder to source by the day and more expensive, with many farmers simply being priced out of that market. If they can't feed their animals farmers need the option to sell them at a place which provides certainty on when they will leave the farm, and is already a system that farmers and buyers understand. The sale yards also provide a benchmark in pricing, which gives farmers certainty on the value of their livestock.
It has been proven at Frankton and Stratford that livestock sales at sale yards can be held within the guidelines for alert level 3, and at a time like this the welfare of our farmers and livestock must be forefront in minds.
Thank you

Suz Bremner    Contact the author of the petition