Unions Lead Struggle
Against Live Exports
The Victorian Branch of the AMIEU led the struggle against the live sheep trade in the late 1970s and early 1980s. We predicted that the live sheep trade would bring about the loss of smallstock killing centres and the loss of many jobs.

In the mid 1970s there were two smallstock chains in Portland, year round, killing 6000 a day in the season. In May 1996 AMH announced that the Portland works would be permanently closed. As well as the Portland closure, the large export smallstock killing centres of Ballarat, Geelong, Donald and the western suburbs of Melbourne are all gone.

Now live cattle exports provide a major threat to the beef processing industry.