Australia-Additional meat and livestock charges.

AUSTRALIA-NEW MEAT CHARGES.

Meat exporters are calling for a moratorium on a planned increase to government inspection charges from July 1 that they say will cramp exports.

Exporters will have to pay the entire cost of inspections by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS).

Presently, food exporters are charged 60 per cent of the cost of inspections, with the commonwealth funding the rest.

The meat industry is calling the change a "tax", saying it would place a $40 million burden on all industry including agriculture. Of that impost, meat exporters would pay $32 million.

The Australian Meat Industry Council has questioned the move given current market conditions and in light of government support for sectors such as carmakers.

"Why you would want to now put a tax on exports at this crucial time, defies logic," CEO Steve Martin told AAP.

The car industry and meat industry both employ about the same number of people - 50,000 each - yet the car industry had received substantial handouts to sustain the financial crisis.

Australian exports 70 per cent of its meat production, equating to about $80 billion in red-meat exports.

Mr Martin says exporters are experiencing a difficult trading environment and the changes will cost jobs.

"They’ll either pass it on to producers, so the producers will wear it, or businesses will wear it through reduced input, and reduced staff."

The industry did not want a government handout.

"But if you’re going to increase the costs, let’s have a moratorium on any increase until we can sit down and review what productivity gains and efficiencies exist."

The increased charges, would also impact on the fish, dairy, grains and horticulture industries that all export overseas, Mr Martin said.

Agriculture Minister Tony Burke last week said no decision had been made on the AQIS charges, and consultation with industry stakeholders was continuing.

Costs for certifying export meat was not evenly balanced among the various export sectors presently, he said.