Intensive livestock and animal industries don't want the government to intervene and secure critically low grain stocks for the domestic market, nor do they think imports are the answer, an emergency feed grain summit in Canberra has resolved this week.

Instead, the real solution lies in greatly improved transparency of supply, according to leaders from the feedlot, pork and dairy sectors, who want an immediate "open book" on grain availability, the amount of grain committed domestically and for export, and the numbers of animals on feed, including those needing to be drought-fed.

This will allow them to better plan for current shortages and make decisions factoring in the variability of supply and historically high grain prices now crippling many intensive industries.

The feed shortfall, which has driven grain prices to unsustainable levels for many sectors, has already triggered a reduction in livestock industries like dairy and feedlots, prompted farmers to sell sheep and cattle to slaughter rather than drought feed.

The summit heard imports, while attractive on price and availability, are not an answer because of prohibitive quarantine restrictions and the high cost of international freight and moving it up country once it arrives at port.

Summit spokesman, Kathleen Plowman, said importing feed grain would depend on market prices, but is significantly complicated by quarantine.

"Livestock industries have always said our preference is not to import grain from overseas markets, because even though we have quarantine, there's always a risk," Ms Plowman said.

"However if the markets can't supply our needs and the markets move in such a way that it makes it affordable for us to do so, we will do so.

"We will try to seek grain from the west coast first, but as I understand it a lot of that grain product is going to be committed anyway.

"Moving grain from the west coast to the east coast is problematic in itself."