Organic spelling yard in Boulia gets first mob of ...

The Boulia spelling yards have been used for their first organic cattle customers after the facility was certified last year.

Key points: The organic certified Boulia spelling yards have been used for the first timeA mob of 209 head were spelled at the yards on a trip from Alice Springs to the Charleville regionThe Boulia Shire Council is looking into the best way to manage the facility

The organic mob of 209 cattle came from Alice Springs, were spelled in Boulia, and will eventually end up near Charleville.

Mayor Rick Britton said, when opening the spelling facility, he thought it best to open it for all trades including organic.

"It's a pretty significant market at the moment," Cr Britton said.

"Alice Springs and the Blackall saleyards are the two organic yards in Australia and Boulia is in that centre point."

An organic producer himself, Cr Britton said finding organic certified spelling yards could be a challenge, and he found it difficult taking mobs from Boulia to Rockhampton for processing.

"I can myself but I've actually got to travel with the livestock to a spelling facility and I've got to be there to visual and authorise and take my own organic hay … it is a fair burden if the yards aren't certified organic," Cr Britton said.

Future plans

While the Boulia spelling facility was of no use to his operation, Cr Britton said they were a great asset for the community and upper management in council were now looking at the best way to operate the facility.

"It's a good turnover, and [we are looking at] whether we could call out tenders or expressions of interest for someone to take over that role of the spelling facility and feeding them," he said.

While this is the first organic mob to pass through the yards, Cr Britton said 12 months ago when the yard was certified he did receive expressions of interest from large operators from the Northern Territory.

"I think there's a couple of figures … you know, they could utilise this yard for 50,000 to 60,000 head a year," Cr Britton said.

"You know, that's a pretty significant vision for someone in the Boulia area."