Union and industry at odds over reasons for Australia's abattoir problems

Australia's meat processing industry blamed the string of recent abattoir closures on low supply because of the drought and a high Australian dollar.

The Australian Meat Industry Council said that the industry has been going through tough times for the past 12-18 months.

However, the union representing meat workers said live exports are to blame.

The Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union (AMIEU) federal secretary Brian Crawford said 10,000 people have lost their jobs over the past several decades because of live animal exports.

If the live trade continues to operate at its current growth, it is not going to get any better, he said.

"Processors aren't going to invest in infrastructure if they haven't got some sort of guarantee of livestock. That's just common sense," he said.