EMOTIONS ran high in the gallery of about 180 farmers and stock agents, mostly in favour of keeping the Warrnambool saleyards open, at Monday night’s Warrnambool City Council’s (WCC) public meeting.

Impassioned pitches were heard by all Councillors on both sides of the debate before deciding its fate, but in the end, they voted 4-3 to close the saleyards, the South West Victorian Livestock Exchange (SWVLX), by June 30, 2023.