The nation's livestock collection agents have been "left in the dark" and are "largely unaware" they will be forced to collect a new biosecurity protection levy scheduled to begin on July 1.
Speaking on behalf of more than 7000 agents, Australian Livestock & Property Agents Association chief executive Peter Baldwin said "frankly, we don't know how we are going to do it."
"We are the overworked, overburdened middle person expected to collect a levy we know nothing about and cannot philosophically agree with, and primary producers clearly do not agree with it either," he said.
"Not only are we doing something at no cost to the government, it is costing us to do it because of the extra hours that our members have to allocate to overworked staff to do this.
"Agents cannot put their commissions up because of an extra cost, the market tells us we cannot do it. It just gets absorbed."
The levy legislation has been referred to the Senate Standing Committee on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport for scrutiny.
The ALPA have so far had one briefing with government - a short video conference with the Levies Department last August.
That meeting took place "in a harrowing landscape" for the industry with a significant downturn in the cattle market, BOM El Nino predictions and sheep being sold for as little as $2 a head.
Mr Baldwin said there was widespread industry concern at placing the extra burden on producers at a time many were being sent tax invoices instead of vendor account sales..
He also said livestock agents will likely need to purchase new software to process the levy.
ALPA represents large and mid-sized companies as well as mum and dad operators, including single mothers.
"We are conscious of the mental health issues attached to extra burden and overburden for what we call compliance programs, where there is no economic benefit. And whilst we are fulfilling a task at no fee, it costs the agency in time, expense and opportunity cost to fulfil that task," Mr Baldwin said.
An additional issue is that stock and sale agents undertake the process of del credere, which is taking on the mercantile risk and paying out the proceeds of sales to vendors before they are paid by the purchaser.
"We are the only people I know who do this. We are in fact the guarantors of that levy, in many respects, so they probably have us over a barrel," Mr Baldwin said.
"Not only are we collecting the levy for free, but we are in effect the guarantors of that levy because we are taking the mercantile risk on behalf of our vendors, that's where the pressure lines up.
"But it is so opaque, we don't know anything about it so we cannot reconcile its benefits".
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry acting first assistant secretary Bronwen Jaggers recently confirmed in Senate Estimates that commodity collection agents would be used to collect the levy.
"As far as possible, we'll be using the same collection mechanisms that those industries that are already levied pay," she said.
"If they pay their ag levies through a collection agent, for example, the intention is that we would use that same mechanism, the collection agent, so that it's easier for the producer.
"I think it would be fair to say that the existing levy collection mechanisms that are in place for producers meant this was a relatively efficient way of imposing this new levy as well."
