Nobody should work in an abattoir; it demeans the human spirit. Workers are victims of a system that only permits speed and productivity, greed and profit, these are the only motivating factors. And then there's the animals who are sentient and suffer the same as humans. Don't they have certain rights? If humankind overlooks even the basic freedoms during life, surely we can't be so insensitive as to agree that beating, maiming, strangling animals is acceptable before death. That being boiled, skinned, and dismembered is an acceptable way to die.

Cattle supply is not being affected by live export, if it wasn't for live export producers wouldn't be able to give their cattle away. The problem is the price for cattle is as low, or even lower, than we were getting 30 years ago. We produce cattle ( and have done for 40 years) and at the moment we are just coming out of a long dry, so cattle need to gain condition, it is too wet and too hot to work cattle, and the price is so bad we won't even think of selling any stock. The whole system is a problem - the price only ever rises at the retailers even though they are getting their meat for the lowest prices in years, and I for one, would not be able to afford to buy beef, and only purchase a little beef, lamb or pork if the price is discounted. Thank goodness we consume our own produce. It is much nicer than what is in the retailers and we know that is clean and green and free of hormones and grain.

What country are you from Kathleen?? ##Workers are victims of a system that only permits speed and productivity## Sounds like almost every "standard" business around - retail, manufacturing, packing fruit / vegies ... The basic premise that any business needs to minimise costs to attempt to maximise profit (or make one). Interesting the way you mention "greed and profit" when the article mentions abattoirs closing from, ummm, losing money. Yeah.

Kathleen would have to be the classic traffic light.

Kathleen you kill more vegetables' lives than meat eaters kill animals. Don't vegetables have rights as they're a living breathing life form? You rip them out of their homes and they aren't put out of there misery but a slow death until you cut them up (still alive) and put in boiling water. Give me the air bolt at the abattoir than the way you treat your vegetables every day of your existence.

Unable to cruise sale yards for bargains with prices my grandfather got its all got to hard and they are taking off. Maybe its time to push back at the supermarkets instead of passing their shit down to us. Toughen up, suck it up .

And all this mayhem to this sector is happening before the domestic market for locally processed cattle shrinks by 10% due to the impending importation of beef and beef products. Additionally, how can anyone blame 'Live Exports' for this problem when, with this little known fact, that there are no meatworks curently in operation in the northern and western two thirds (plus) of Australia.

See just look at what live export is doing. Not only is the cruelty to animals atrocious, it is causing people to lose their jobs, that’s why the AMIEU is against it. If you support the live export, don't go off at people who buy imported products over Aust, because you are no better.

This entire debate is senseless unless we export the government that passed the bill to import beef from bse countries. I really cannot understand why any farmer or unionist would support offshore processing of any kind over local. Australia for Australians first, then let's consider where the remaining benifit goes. Any external company who grows, processes and exports beef ( or any other produce ) should be scrutinised. Let's ask ACCC why all the small abattiors have disappeared and why the big players have exclusions for small producer to kill through them and supply local customers. Let's hope that we don't see a double whammy if the live export beef come back into Australia after processing, to deny our own people and kids a job.

It's simple really - had abattoir owners and workers been prepared to accept the same type of returns and salaries that farmers and farm workers accept, everything could be slaughtered in Australia.