Teys Brothers at Naracoorte – South Australia's largest beef processor – has reached a four-year collective workplace agreement with the Australian Meat Industry Employees Union to entice and retain employees for its expanding workforce.

Widely accepted as the first meat industry agreement under the Federal Government's industrial laws, it will come into effect on Monday when production recommences after the plant's annual maintenance shutdown.

Teys Brothers, which also owns three abattoirs in Queensland, is completing a $20 million expansion at Naracoorte to increase throughput from about 550 to 750 carcases head a day by August next year.

* Extract from a full report in Stock Journal, SA, August 8.