Australia lifts ban on cattle trade with Indonesia

Australia lifts ban on cattle trade with Indonesia

2011-07-07 00:26:43 GMT+7 (ICT)

SIDNEY (BNO NEWS) -- Australian Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig on Wednesday announced that the ban on cattle trade with Indonesia was lifted and new requirements for exporters were set, Australia's Daily Telegraph newspaper reported.

Ludwig added that all imported cattle will be tracked and audited. The Australian government imposed a ban on Indonesia cattle after footage surfaced in which the animals were killed in a brutal and horrific way in Indonesian abattoirs.

Under the new requirements, exporters will receive permits if they prove their cows were slaughtered humanely and according to international standards. The four-week ban was first imposed on June 7 and devastated the $320 million per year industry.

Exporters will receive licenses to ship live cattle to Indonesia if the meet the strict conditions which include tracking the movement of the animals and ensuring their humane treatment.

"These strict new conditions have been written into all export permits," Senator Ludwig said. "They require exporters to trace cattle from properties, on to vessels, into feedlots and into abattoirs that meet agreed international standards."

The documentary was broadcast on ABC's 'Four Corners' program, showing footage of cattle being tortured, including eye gouging, tails being broken, as well as throats being slashed in a number of Indonesian slaughterhouses.

Indonesia represents 60 percent of Australia's live cattle exports, and in 2010, trade was worth over $300 million. During the past 10 years, the country's cattle industry, along with government institutions, have invested around $4 million in improving animal treatment in the Southeast Asian country.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-07-07