Terry Redman has told a hearing in Broome that 1000 of those jobs were in the Kimberley region while 1500 were in the state's south.
"We need to understand the ripple effect," he said on Thursday, citing helicopter pilots who muster cattle, livestock transporters and animal handlers.
"Anyone involved in the supply chain here gets impacted by that decision."
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Mr Redman said that while WA beef producers have had their business reduced by between 20 and 30 per cent, they were "a very, very resilient lot".
Andrew Stewart, from agricultural supply company Landmark, said producers were hit by "the perfect storm". "We've had a fantastic wet season across the north, the best on
record, from one side of the country to the other," he told senators.
At the same time, prices for cattle were extremely high.
"And then all of a sudden when this came, the majority of people ... are absolutely on their knees."
Pastoralists and Graziers Association president Rob Gillam said the release of footage showing of mistreatment of cattle in Indonesia was designed to damage the live export industry.
"I've got no shadow of doubt in my mind that the timing was timed to interfere and do the most damage possible to the northern markets," he told the inquiry.
"We were right at the very peak of people supplying cattle into it."
Mr Gillam said the RSPCA, which has called for an end to live animal exports, had moved from being an organisation concerned with animal welfare to one more focused on animal liberation.
