The Australian Federal Agriculture Minister Warren Truss has warned that rejection of his proposed quota management plan for US beef exports would benefit the big multinational companies and send small, regional abattoirs to the wall.

"Many of these smaller abattoirs have built up their business over the years by supplying beef to the US market, while other processors have concentrated on alternative markets, including Japan," Mr Truss said.

"If the Labor Party and Senator O’Brien succeed in throwing out the Government’s proposed quota management system the big multi-national processors will be best equipped to dump meat into an unregulated market, leaving no quota for the regular US suppliers. Small regional abattoirs would be the big losers," the minister said.