Meat Industry Labour Agreement: how processors sponsor skilled meat workers

What the agreement covers

• One nominated occupation, Skilled Meat Worker, which takes in boners, slicers and slaughterers; general meat process workers and labourers are not covered. The Department’s custom occupation code is used on the nomination because there is no matching ANZSCO entry.
• Visas: the 482 labour-agreement stream for up to four years, and the 186 labour-agreement stream for permanent residency after the period the template sets (the agreement is used both for temporary sponsorship and, after the transition, for permanent nominations).
• Regional categories: the template splits plant locations into three categories with different settings; the concessions on salary and the conditions attached differ by category, which is why two processors can face different terms under the same template.
• Skills and experience: nominees must meet the template’s experience and competency requirements for the occupation, evidenced through a skills assessment where the template requires it (Trades Recognition Australia assesses meat-processing competencies for migration).

Settings that move between versions, including the salary concession against the A$79,423 threshold, the English setting and the qualifying period for the 186, are in the current template on the Department’s labour agreements page; treat any figure quoted elsewhere as indicative until you have read the template.

How to get access, step by step

1. Confirm you fit the template. The business must operate in the industry the Meat Industry Labour Agreement covers and the role must be one of the template’s occupations; the Department does not add occupations or concessions to an industry template for an individual employer. Anything outside it is a company-specific agreement.
2. Labour market testing. Evidence of genuine local recruitment is required with the request and again at each nomination, and the December 2024 amendments tightened what the Department accepts for industry agreements: two advertisements of 28 days or more, within the four months before lodging on platforms with national reach, stating the salary where required.
3. Request the agreement through ImmiAccount (the Department’s labour agreement section handles requests). There is no charge for the agreement itself. Allow several months the first time; the agreement normally runs for five years.
4. Nominate each worker on the 482 labour-agreement stream: nomination charge A$330 plus the Skilling Australians Fund levy of A$1,200 per visa year for businesses under A$10m turnover (A$1,800 above). The worker lodges the visa (A$4,015). The Department’s September 2026 median for 482 processing was four months.
5. Comply. The template’s terms are conditions on your business: the nominated salary, the concession limits, record-keeping, notifying changes within 28 days. Breach suspends or cancels the agreement and the standard sponsor sanctions follow.

The agreement against the alternatives

• PALM places Pacific and Timor-Leste workers in meat processing in large numbers under DEWR’s deed, with no PR pathway and heavier welfare obligations; it suits plants that need teams and are willing to run the scheme. PALM, labour agreement or DAMA compared.
• Regional DAMAs (the Northern Territory lists meat boner and slicer and meat process worker, among others) can cover roles the industry template does not, for plants inside the region. DAMA regions.
• Standard 482 remains available for the plant’s listed occupations: meat inspectors, butchers (351211), maintenance fitters, electricians, refrigeration mechanics, production managers where listed.

Where the workers are

SponsorTalent’s meat-processing candidates come mainly from Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Nepal, India and Brazil, with a steady onshore group on Working Holiday and other visas already working in plants. Candidate profiles state boning, slicing or slaughter experience, plant and species. Search meat worker candidates; the candidate-facing view is at meat worker sponsorship.

Frequently asked questions

Can an abattoir sponsor a boner on a standard 482 visa? No. Meat boners, slicers and slaughterers are not on the skilled occupation lists. Processors sponsor them under the Meat Industry Labour Agreement as the occupation Skilled Meat Worker on the 482 labour-agreement stream, or under a regional DAMA that lists the role.

Which occupations does the Meat Industry Labour Agreement cover? A single nominated occupation, Skilled Meat Worker, which covers boning, slicing and slaughtering roles. General process workers, packers and labourers are outside it; for those, PALM or a DAMA are the routes.

Does the agreement lead to permanent residency? Yes. The template includes a 186 labour-agreement stream after the qualifying period of sponsored work it sets, subject to the usual permanent-visa requirements. Check the current template for the period and any age setting.

What does it cost the employer? No charge for the agreement itself. Each nomination costs A$330 plus the Skilling Australians Fund levy (A$1,200 per visa year under A$10m turnover, A$1,800 above); the worker pays the A$4,015 visa charge unless you choose to. Migration agent fees are extra. None of the sponsor-side costs can be recovered from the worker.

How long does it take? Several months for the agreement the first time, running alongside labour market testing; then nomination and visa, which took a median of four months in the Department’s September 2026 figures. Later nominations follow the visa clock only.