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Large job cuts to hit Australian sheep slaughterhouses 22 Dec 2009

Australia's largest slaughterhouses say workers should prepare for massive jobs cuts next year.
Layoffs are being predicted due to the decade-long drought combined with the high Australian dollar, which has seen many farmers get out of sheep meat production - so much so the big lamb abattoirs are now facing cutting production by up to 35 per cent.
 
Australia's sheep flock has fallen from 170 million at its peak to 71 million head this year - dropping 7 per cent alone in the past year.
 
Analysts say in Europe, the sheep flock is down around 20 per cent due mostly to changes to the way they were subsidising the farmers and in New Zeeland, it’s also down 20 per cent as many producers moved into dairy.
 
However, the light at the end of the tunnel is that demand for mutton and lamb in world markets is increasing.
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