The centre, which boasts the largest sheep selling facility in Australia, is currently focusing on expanding the yarding capacity for cattle.

In recent times records were smashed with 7057 head going under the hammer at the January 19 sale.

The centre’s manager, Paul Martin, says early indications suggest the facility will achieve a record turnover for the current financial year.

He said the turnover since July last year, for both sheep and cattle so far, was $250 million. And the figure for cattle alone is $120 million.

“I see it as being a record year,” he said. For the financial year, to date, 152,000 head of cattle have sold. 

The big numbers, combined with global demand for beef and lamb, have put the facility in the box seat to undertake expansions.

Mr Martin said some of the work was already complete but there was more to go at the 30-hectare site which is located at Bomen.

Despite the expansion works Mr Martin said the centre had not outgrown its current infrastructure.

The Wagga cattle sale uses what is known as a “ring-selling system” which is effectively an open-ended auction method.

Cattle are weighed at the point of scale and then enter a ring before going under the hammer.

This ring-selling system regularly attracts tourists and visitors from overseas who are keen to view the rapid-fire auction system.

There are also nine agency companies which sell each week at Wagga and offer livestock on behalf of vendors.

Mr Martin said between 500 and 600 head are sold an hour and at the big sales earlier this year some of the trucks were able to depart the centre as early as 9.30am.

The saleyards draws sheep and cattle from a 400 kilometre radius and regularly attracts some of the biggest orders from as far away as north Queensland.

Mr Martin said he was confident about the prospects for the meat industry. He said globally demand for red meat protein was positive and this flow on affect was felt at Wagga.