Mount Mercer farmer Denis Banks had 10 lambs left and decided to put them up for auction to support world-class work at Ballarat's Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute.

With the help of HF Richardson stock agent Bernie Nevins, who donated his time, sales at Central Victorian Livestock Exchange on Tuesday raised more than $8000 to directly help fight cancer with research.

"We've all been touched at some stage by cancer - I wouldn't say there were many people who didn't know someone who had cancer," Mr Banks said.

"(FECRI) had to postpone its fundraising ball and there's a lot of negative things happening in the pandemic...This is a bit of money going to a good cause."

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Buyers were mostly from family-run abattoirs and butchers across western Victoria: Westside Meats, Bacchus Marsh; Midvale Meats, Warrnambool; Beaumont Meats, Ballarat, Herd Meats, Geelong; HF Richardson; and, one anonymous buyer.

Mr Nevins said, as a company, it was great to help support a good cause in a slightly more unusual way.

"We had unbelievable support from buyers," Mr Nevins said. "Everyone is affected by cancer."

FECRI is Australia's sole regional-based cancer research program and relies on community support. The institute is best known for its international work on immunology, finding ways to help the immune system fight cancer.

This includes breast cancer, ovarian cancer and rare blood disorders.

For more details on the FECRI's work: fecri.org.au.

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