West Australia-Harvey Beef lay off 160 staff.

HARVEY Beef, one of the state’s biggest abattoirs, has reportedly sacked 160 of its 500 workers at its South-West base.

The company’s management met with the Australian Meat Industry Employees Union and told them of their plans, saying they could no longer sustain the losses in the current global economic difficulties.

The company will also cut production, paring back from seven-days a week to a five-day operation.