It is a number that is pretty typical for this time of year.

And it is also evidence as to why the Wagga Livestock Marketing Centre claims the number one position as the biggest sheep selling establishment in the country. 

If you attend the sale – which many readers of The Rural possibly would at some stage – you know animal welfare is paramount.

It is taken seriously. The yards are state of the art and the people who work there move swiftly to ensure welfare is of the highest order. Stories like this don’t get told. This level of care is taken for granted. 

So those in the agricultural sector are probably shaking their heads at the recent headlines over “Wagga's one dead sheep.” It would be possible to argue that more animals died in suburbia on that 45 degree day in February. 

The fact is that when you have livestock you inevitably have dead stock too. It’s a cruel fact of nature. People who grow up in the bush know this. Kids on farms understand this all too well. And it is the same people who have this depth of understanding of life and death of our livestock who are champions when it comes to looking after animals.

To take the emotion out of it. Keeping animals alive and well looked after is good business. Last week vendors received $145 for Merinos. The price was possibly higher back in early February when this incident occurred. And wool prices are on a high too. Nobody wants dead sheep.

So why are we hearing so much about an incident involving one dead sheep? And how much money does an investigation like this, which involves RSPCA and numerous other parties, cost?

If systems were to blame for this one incident it is time to correct them and move on.

But in the meantime the centre’s management, vendors, livestock agents, carriers and buyers are to be applauded for what is a well run operation.

Let the tourist buses roll in and the school students continue to visit and keep this facility – which drives millions dollars in revenue into the local economy – on the pedestal that it deserves.