Reports of rural transporters picking up the wrong pens of stock from saleyards have prompted their association to urge drivers to take more care.

In its latest newsletter to members the Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association said it has been hearing reports about errors counting or identifying livestock, which is causing problems up and down the supply chain.

“In Victoria we are hearing reports of drivers who are not taking enough care around saleyards and picking up livestock from the wrong pens,” the association said.

“In one instance, store cattle were moved instead of fat cattle and by the time they were returned the store sale was over.  In another case, cows were mistakenly taken with a load of bullocks from the same pen when they were meant to be going different places.

“At the Livestock and Rural Transporters Association of Queensland Conference we heard about western Queensland cattle ‘disappearing’ and then ‘reappearing’ in southern states.  Please also be mindful of potential stolen cattle if you are running in that direction.

“So, we just suggest that it may be beneficial to ask your drivers to take more care in noting pen and livestock numbers – particularly when the driver is new or does not have a background in the livestock industry.”

Asked about the issue, Australian Livestock and Property Agents chief executive officer Andy Madigan said the collection of wrong stock from saleyards was not a big issue, but one that happened from time to time due to miscommunication or lack of attention to detail.

ALRTA urging owner-drivers to speak up at RSRT forums

Meanwhile the ALRTA is urging members to take the opportunity to have their say at an inquiry into the impact of the Road Safety Remuneration Tribal payments order on owner drivers.

The inquiry is being conducted by the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO), which is conducting regional consultation sessions to gather information from owner-drivers and their families about the impacts of the order on their businesses.

The ALRTA said today that while the RSRT may have been abolished by the current Coalition Government, the Australian Labor Party’s commitment to bring the RSRT back means uncertainty remains over the future of the order.

The following sessions have been announced and there are more to come:

The ALRTA said it had recently attended a roundtable meeting with the ASBFEO in Canberra and is preparing a comprehensive formal submission.

“The report from this inquiry will be available to the government of the day following the 2016 Federal Election.  We hope that the report will help our future decisions-makers understand what went wrong with the RSRT and how to avoid repeating these mistakes in future.”