Up to 600 jobs are on the line at a Timaru meat works

Alliance Group has announced it's proposing to close its Smithfield freezing works.

They say it's caused by a drop in sheep processing numbers, as land use has changed.

Regional Development Minister Shane Jones, says it's becoming too hard to produce food in New Zealand.

He says previous governments haven't taken into account how difficult it is for farmers to make changes based on climate policies.