The Australasian Meat Industry Employees’ Union (AMIEU) claims the region’s meat processors are needlessly over-reliant on foreign workers.

However, the abattoirs maintain they cannot procure enough local workers to meet their needs and have no choice but to look overseas for temporary employees.

The issue has sparked plenty of debate on The Leader’s Facebook page in recent days, as people weighed in on both sides of the debate. 

Steve Mears said “all people should be given (an) opportunity but it must not be at the expense of our unemployed townsfolk”.

Shardae Stacy said her partner had applied “numerous times” for work in the meat industry, only for “several job agencies” to tell him “not to bother as he is not a foreigner”.

But Lucas Preston said many locals simply “don’t want to work” and were “lazy and incompetent”.

“To sit there and say these big companies don’t give locals a go is an absolute fabrication and a completely one-sided argument,” he said.

The union plans to present Baiada Poultry, Thomas Foods International and Teys Australia with the list of unemployed people’s names in the hope it leads to jobs.