30 Jul 2011

Live cattle exports to resume

8:57 am on 30 July 2011

Elders has approval to resume exporting live cattle from Australia to Indonesia.

Live trade was suspended by the Australian government in June after footage of animals being mistreated in Indonesian abattoirs was shown on ABC TV.

The ban was lifted on 6 July, but trade was unable to restart due to a revision of the regulatory framework.

Elders has now been given export approval from the Federal Government and an import permit from Indonesia.

The company wants to ship 3000 cattle from Darwin within a fortnight.

The ABC reports they will be the first cattle exported to Indonesia since the Government suspended trade in June.

The ABC reports the herd has been held in yards south of Darwin since trade was suspended.

''It is vital that the volumes can be increased as rapidly as a sustainable solution will permit," said Elders chief executive Malcolm Jackman.

Indonesia issued import permits for 180,000 head of cattle after the ban was lifted.