Cattle ban threatens to ruin WA families

WA farmers are warning that the $100 million live cattle export trade to Indonesia will be devastated unless the Federal Government lifts its suspension on exports as soon as possible.

Farmers across regional WA were yesterday stunned and still piecing together what the ban meant for their livelihoods in an industry that employs 9000 people across Australia.

The Federal Government responded quickly to an overwhelming public outcry after damning footage showing brutal treatment of Australian cattle in Indonesian abattoirs was made public last week.

Federal Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig said the ban on sending live cattle to Indonesia could last up to six months or until systems were put in place across Indonesia to ensure Australian cattle were treated properly.

"I didn't want to put a timeframe on it (but) the current suspension is up to six months," Senator Ludwig said.

"It is important that industry use that period to work through and come up with supply-chain assurance."

Tens of thousands of WA cattle are now stranded in boats, holding pens and pastoral stations at what is peak time for livestock across the Kimberley to be loaded on to boats headed for Indonesia.

Another 150,000 cattle from Australia are already in Indonesian feedlots ready to be slaughtered.

Senator Ludwig said there would be an independent review of the entire sector but did not reveal its terms of reference.

It is understood stakeholders were informed yesterday that the scope of the review would include investigating both cattle and sheep live exports to all international markets.

Julia Gillard moved to reassure the industry last night that the ban was only temporary. It came as Indonesia threatened to take Australia to the World Trade Organisation over the ban.

Senator Ludwig would not be drawn on whether farmers and affected communities would be offered compensation.

It is also unclear what will happen to the thousands of livestock waiting to be exported.

Industry leaders and cattle farmers claimed a six-month ban would cripple northern Australia, leaving many out-of-pocket and questioning their future on the land.

WA Farmers Federation president Mike Norton condemned the suspension and said he believed the Indonesian market was not the only one at threat.

He said Australia now risked being seen as an unreliable trade partner and it may not be a "straightforward decision" to reopen the trade.

State Agriculture Minister Terry Redman said the viability of stations, including 42 stations in the Kimberley and Pilbara owned by indigenous groups, would be jeopardised by the loss of a market that took about 80 per cent of the 370,000 cattle exported by WA each year.

He said the State had invested heavily in turning Aboriginal-owned cattle stations into viable businesses.

Pastoralists and Graziers' Association of WA president Rob Gillam was part of a delegation to meet the Prime Minister in the Northern Territory on Tuesday.

Mr Gillam said the decision to enforce a ban was made before their views were aired and described it as a "knee-jerk" reaction that placed WA's entire $250 million live export beef industry in jeopardy.

"Mustering is already underway and if markets remain closed, producers, including indigenous-owned stations, will be left with thousands of animals and no source of income," Mr Gillam said.