Blame shifted over cattle crisis

The Gillard Government has laid the blame for the live cattle trade woes at the feet of Meat and Livestock Australia while arguing the trade will be back up and running soon.

Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig said as the industry was effectively self-regulated under the MLA it was the organisation that had to carry responsibility rather than him. He said his only effective power was export licences, while the MLA had to oversee abattoir conditions and animal welfare standards.

"The MLA are the responsible body who oversees and manages what, up to date, has been a self-managed industry," he said on ABC TV last night.

But in a sign that a resumption of trade is near, Senator Ludwig signalled once animal tracing and oversight issues were resolved animals would be on their way to Indonesia quickly. "It's very important that we get the live animal export market reopened and trade resumed, both for the domestic producers and of course for our exporters," he said.

Senator Ludwig is meeting MLA representatives today, but the organisation faces more grilling at a Senate inquiry.

The inquiry, due to report ahead of the Government commissioned investigation on August 25, will focus on the MLA and Livecorp. It will go into the organisations' knowledge and monitoring of animal welfare practices in live export markets. It will also examine the impact of the live trade on employment in northern Australia, and whether it affects local meat prices.

WA Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said industry representatives had been in Indonesia before the Four Corners footage came to light.

"Our cattle industry is in crisis as a direct result of the failure to maintain animal welfare standards and it is important to know how this happened and determine just where the responsibility lies," she said.

A plan by live trade supporter Bob Katter and trade opponent Andrew Wilkie for a House of Representatives inquiry failed.