Goat meatworks to import more workers

A goat abattoir in south-west Queensland says it plans to hire another 20 overseas workers.

Western Exporters in Charleville, south-east of Longreach, is Australia's largest goat meat exporter.

Managing director Neil Duncan says it cannot find enough skilled meatworkers locally and a new labour agreement will enable it to access workers on 457 visas from Vietnam and the Philippines.

Mr Duncan says he would like to see conditions improved for visa holders.

"These people are doing everything right to come into this country and they are just given hell, they don't get any medical [assistance], they don't get anything," he said.

"Then you see this noise when you see all these boat people turning up, they get everything thrown at them.

"We've relied on these 457s for the last six years now and to try and get skilled meatworkers is just impossible."

He says the labour agreement will allow the company to bring in 20 families.

"We bring in the whole family, so the wife and the children also," he said.

"With the first lot of 457 workers we bought in, they settled in Charleville and everybody loved them - they were just good, family-orientated people.

"The next lot, we'll probably get them from Vietnam or the Philippines, or both actually."

Source: ABC News, 3 April 2013