THE Red Meat Action Group's (RMAG) move to truck cattle over east to be processed has been labelled as "hypocritical" by one of WA's biggest abattoir owners.
Western Meat Packers owner Rod Russell said the same group "yelled and screamed" when Coles was importing beef into WA.
"They were very vocal about eastern states' beef coming into WA yet here they are sending beef the other way," Mr Russell said.
"I don't think they are making such a price premium by sending cows and bulls to the east.
"Our grid price for cows, which is currently $2.35, actually works out to be more than what they received for the cattle they sent over east anyway.
"They said they received $3.10/kg and the cows averaged 400kg carcase weight.
"This gave a price per head of $1240 and if you take the $300 freight cost off that it equals $940.
"Divide $940 by 400kg and you get $2.25/kg.
"The response was that there were no penalties over there, but I don't care who is doing the processing.
"If a cow has 50mm of fat you cannot process it or you will go broke."
RMAG chairman Gary Buller refuted Mr Russell's claims.
He said the east-bound cattle were used for manufacturing beef only and would be "packed in a box and shipped overseas" and have no affect on WA's market.
"It is not used for primal cuts. It is hot boned, put in a box and goes out of the system," he said.
Mr Buller also said the price being offered was a flat grid price, not a floating grid offered by Western Meat Packers.
"There may be reasonable prices on offer through the Western Meat Packers grid, but that is a floating grid and the specifications are quite tight," he said.
"If a cow isn't quite right it is discounted heavily.
"With the Victorian market we know exactly what we are getting without penalties.
"We have been offered a floating grid in the east of $3.35/kg."