undermines plans to transition the sheep industry away from live export. The temporary closure of the Beaufort River meat processing facility has drawn strong criticism from the Western Australian Opposition, which says the shutdown will have serious consequences for jobs, livestock producers and regional communities across the Great Southern and Wheatbelt. Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Food Lachlan Hunter and Member for Roe Peter Rundle said the timing was particularly concerning, coming just one day after state and federal Labor governments announced supply-chain grants intended to support the sheep industry.

The Beaufort River plant, an export-standard facility capable of processing substantial numbers of sheep and goats, directly employed around 100 workers and supported many additional jobs in transport, livestock handling and local service industries. Mr Hunter said abattoirs are essential agricultural infrastructure that allow farmers to market stock locally, reduce transport costs and maintain the viability of livestock production. He argued that the closure highlights the risks facing regional communities as the federal government phases out live sheep exports.

Mr Rundle said the economic effects would extend well beyond the plant itself, impacting contractors, truck drivers, shearers, feed suppliers and small businesses throughout the region. The Opposition says the shutdown raises broader concerns about whether sufficient domestic processing capacity exists to support sheep producers during the transition away from live export and has called on governments to provide more effective support to protect jobs and agricultural infrastructure in regional Western Australia.