Auction system rights bought

Press, 18 December 1989, Page 3

Auction system rights bought

Wellington reporter Fletcher Challenge has bought the exclusive New Zealand rights in perpetuity to C.A.L.M. — a com-puter-aided livestock marketing system — from the Australian Meat and Livestock Corporation. C.A.L.M.. is a livestock auction by computer. This general manager, Mr Tony Friedlander, a former National Cabinet Minister, said it had all the advantages of traditional livestock auctions in the saleyards and of private treaty selling. It was essentially a very effective form of sale by description, he said. C.A.L.M. had advantages to both buyers and sellers of livestock as well as to livestock agents. Transport handling and travel .costs were reduced and the market was national rather than regional. - Fletcher Challenge would make it available to all players in the livestock industry. That included all stock and station agents, and not just Wrightsons, as well as meat companies, live exporters and farmers. Mr Friedlander said stock assessors would be trained for the system. This training would be available to anyone who wanted it. The system would be phased in region by region, with the aim of achieving national coverage as quickly as assessor training and farmer support allowed. Farmers listed on C.A.L.M. would pay a perhead assessment fee for each individual listing on the system, he said. Details of these fees had not been worked out yet. The costs involved were expected to be less than those for saleyard auctions and private sales, and these lower costs ought to be reflected in the commissions charge by livestock agents.