Listen now.

The Country’s Jamie Mackay is joined by PGG Wrightson’s Roddy Bridson, to talk about New Zealand’s livestock market and online auctions.

Summer has finally arrived in Southland as Bridson explains that the season is in full swing.

Mackay notes that next Thursday will feature New Zealand’s first whole herd (dairy cows) online auction with the dairy industry thriving at the moment.

Next Thursday’s whole herd dairy auction comes from Simon and Liz Harlets successful business and are described by Bridson as an “elite commercial herd of cows” confirmed by DNA testing.

Mackay queries if online auctions are really the way of the future as they remove that real world ‘see, feel, touch’ experience. Bridson says that this is a new approach to auctions and allows them to be broadcast to a wider national and international audience.

Bidr (PGG’s online auction system) provides potential purchasers with videos and photos of the livestock, and contracts pertaining to the information of the sale and the livestock. The only information not stipulated by Bidr is the price of the stock and the purchaser’s name.

Demand for quality livestock in the dairy industry continues to increase.