The click of a computer mouse or tap of a mobile phone are replacing the noisy bustle of livestock auctions as COVID-19 restrictions disrupt the traditional world of saleyards.

Key points: Livestock are typically sold at saleyards, which are still going as 'essential services'

Livestock are typically sold at saleyards, which are still going as 'essential services' Coronavirus restrictions have led to a surge in interest in online sales

Coronavirus restrictions have led to a surge in interest in online sales Online platforms have been available since the 1980s, but haven't taken off until now

With cattle and sheep farmers barred from auctions, they're turning to their devices to do business.

Online auctions and live video streams of sales are booming.

Taylor Wallace of Western Victorian Livestock Exchange at Mortlake prepares to stream pictures of a cattle sale. ( ABC Landline: Tim Lee )

Australia's largest rural online selling platform, Auctions Plus, has seen a flood of new business.

"One livestock agent recently told me that half his clients in a Friday sale were completely new to it," said chief executive Angus Street.

Less stress on animals

It also means an added animal welfare benefit, as animals don't need to be trucked to saleyards to be sold.

"Animal welfare is on everyone's lips and so is biosecurity and having the article arrive the best state it can," said Gunnedah livestock agent Guy Gallen.

The second-generation agent launched his New South Wales company, Farmgate Auctions, last year.

The company's phone app allows producers to photograph or film their livestock, then upload onto an auction platform.

He said this meant there was less handling of the animals.

Supporters of online sales say it reduces stress on the animals because they aren't taken to saleyards. ( ABC Landline: Tim Lee )

"If we can get the livestock from the paddock to the end user with as little handling as possible they've got to arrive in a better state than being pushed around and prodded like they do in other markets," he said.

"[With online auctions] the livestock go from paddock to paddock or they go from paddock to feedlot and there's less stress on the animal."

Advocates of online auctions argue that the technology saves time and money, because stock don't have to be trucked to market, sold and then trucked to another destination.

The animals can be traded in a national marketplace with on-screen information not available at physical auctions.

And auctions can be held at any time.

Online livestock auctions started in Australia in 1986, but technology in the pre-internet era was stone-age by today's standards.

These steers won't be going to the physical saleyard. A range of photos on Auctions Plus will help online bidders assess the animals. ( Supplied: Auctions Plus )

As technology and the assessment parameters for livestock have improved, online selling has gained popularity.

Coronavirus restrictions spark digital uptake

Now the restrictions imposed by COVID-19 have given it unprecedented relevance and purpose.

Some believe it will cause a permanent shift away from traditional livestock auctions.

"I believe some of that adoption rate is going to be sustained," said Angus Street of Auctions Plus.

Until recently Auctions Plus dominated online livestock auctions.

In 2017, the company, owned by Elders and Canadian agribusiness multi-nation Agrien, had a turnover of $770 million worth of livestock.

This year, bolstered by record stock prices and higher turnover, the company expects to exceeds $1 billion.

"So if choice means competition, we want to be a viable competitor in that space," said Farmgate Auctions' Guy Gallen

Livestock sales continue as an essential service, but physical distancing rules are in place. ( ABC Landline: Tim Lee )

Faith in saleyards

AAM Investment Group built and operates 10 large regional saleyards along the eastern seaboard.

Tim Gallagher of AAM investment Group, which has invested heavily in large regional saleyards. ( ABC Landline: Tim Lee )

The company's Tim Gallagher acknowledges COVID-19 has changed the dynamics of a very traditional industry.

But he doesn't believe online's surging popularity will spell the death of the age-old auction.

"We see there'll be more active participation [in online sales] but it won't replace the physical auction process," he said.

Can you trust what you see online?

Stock agent Bruce 'Redders' Redpath has been in the gig for 55 years, mostly in western Victoria.

He bought cattle via video auction when the technology was first used in Australia in 1986.

But the first pen of Charolais cattle he bought looked far bigger and taller in the footage.

Bruce 'Redders' Redpath was an early adopter of online sales in the 1980s, but had his fingers burnt by pictures that didn't accurately portray the cattle. ( ABC Landline: Tim Lee )

"I think the photographer must have been lying on the ground," laughed Mr Redpath.

Yesterday he oversaw a full auction that was all live-streamed on Auctions Plus.

The Western Victorian Livestock Exchange at Mortlake saw terrific prices, and no technical glitches with the live stream.

New skills needed for online auctions

Newer players are benefiting from the increased interest in alternative ways to sell livestock.

"We've seen the popularity of online selling peak almost overnight," said Chanel Gallen of Farmgate Auctions.

For many older cattle and sheep farmers, making the switch to online sales has meant a quickfire education in using digital technology.

"I had a conversation with an older gentleman a couple of days ago who wasn't sure what an internet browser was," said Chanel Gallen.

"He was a pro by the time he finished, and he was pretty excited when he saw the type of cattle he could see from his living room."

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