The Wild Game Resources abattoir in Longreach will shut up shop indefinitely, and the St George plant will follow, after last week's announcement that Russia has placed a total ban on importing kangaroo meat starting from August 1 citing food safety concerns.

Jodie Cronin manages Wild Game Resources in Longreach and said news of the ban came as a shock and meant they firm would be out of business because 95 percent of their product was sold to Russia.

"We aren't getting many answers at the moment," she said.

Ms Cronin said local roo harvesters were in the dark too, contacting her to see what was happening.

"A lot of them are still asking questions and we can’t answer them," she said.

"The harvesters are worried because that’s their only job and that’s their only income.

"No one knows how long the closure is for, whether it's until the start of next year or for a couple of months."

In the Western Queensland regions 4000 jobs depend on the roo industry, with Russia accounting for 70pc of the export market and worth $270 million a year for the country.

There would be $40,000 less a week in the local economies of towns like Charleville, Blackall and Winton, Ms Cronin said, with roo harvesters out of work and penniless.

* More on this issue to come in Queensland Country Life, July 16 edition.