Some WA truck drivers who cart livestock have not worked for three weeks and are unlikely to get a job for several months, after WA’s two biggest live sheep export companies stopped their operations.

Livestock and Rural Transport Association WA spokesman Andy Jacob said his industry was in turmoil after WA’s biggest exporter Emanuel Exports had its licence temporarily suspended, and the second biggest, Livestock Shipping Services, voluntarily withdrew from the northern summer market.

“We have guys driving livestock carriers who have not had a job for three weeks now,” he said.

“The reality is they are unlikely to get a job for another three or so months. It’s very distressing for these people who still need to get food on the table.”

Mr Jacob said the cattle and sheep livestock industries accounted for up to 48 per cent of all stock road movements in WA, so if there was a total ban, his industry could almost halve.

As an owner-operator, Mr Jacob said 85 per cent of his own income was derived from servicing the livestock industry, so his business model would collapse amid a ban.

“Many other carriers are in the same situation,” he said.

“It’s a real crisis and people are extremely worried for their livelihoods. Livestock carriers support positive animal welfare and are disappointed by the television footage, but we know that’s not the industry standard.”

Uncertainty is so high that members have stopped investing in new equipment. “Within the past four weeks, I know of at least seven WA cancellations of new livestock crates — worth about $430,000 each, ordered from trailer manufacturers,” Mr Jacob said.

WA’s biggest producer of livestock feed pellets for sheep, Macco Feeds in Williams, faces laying off about half its 20-strong workforce in coming months.

Manager Phil Beresford said about 95 per cent of more than 100,000 tonnes of pellets produced each year were sold for use in export feedlots or ships.

He said they could target the market for domestic feed, but this was already crowded.

“There are other knock-on effects, particularly for transport,” Mr Beresford said.

“There are about 4500 transport movements a year, bringing grain hay and straw, and about 2000 movements of pellets out, so those people will be affected, too.”

LRTA has called a meeting of agricultural lobby groups for tomorrow to discuss an idea to promote WA agriculture in a positive light, to balance negative information from animal activist groups.