A

nother video recording purportedly showing extreme cruelty in an Indonesian slaughterhouse has raised the anger of many Australians and put pressure on Canberra to end Australia’s US$340 million live-cattle trade with its largest buyer.

Australian agriculture minister Joe Ludwig said on Wednesday that Australia would investigate new video images allegedly showing mistreatment at an Indonesian abattoir and could re-impose an export ban on the slaughterhouse if it was proven to have broken animal welfare rules.

The latest images were broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Late Line program and sourced by an Indonesian investigator. They showed workers slitting a cow’s throat without stunning it first as is required under the new rules made after the lifting of last year’s export ban.

“There will be mistakes, there will be slips, but the system ensures we can deal with those slips and mistakes,” Ludwig told Australian radio as quoted by Reuters.

Ludwig said that an independent regulator would investigate the latest incident. Under rules introduced after last year’s public outcry, the Australian government requires exporters to ensure animal welfare standards are applied at the Indonesian slaughterhouses they supply, and can punish firms that supply cattle to slaughterhouses that use cruel treatment.

Indonesia responded to the news by promising a thorough investigation into the matter. Deputy Agriculture Minister Rusman Heriawan said the government would not try to cover anything up.

“We need to know where it happened and Australia needs to clarify the location with us. Before responding to the video, we need clarification,” he told reporters in the sidelines of a sustainable palm oil conference in Jakarta.

Rusman added that Indonesia was revitalizing hundreds of its slaughterhouses nationwide, to bring them up to international standards.

Deputy Trade Minister Bayu Krisnamurthi said that the Indonesian government would consult with its Australian counterpart on this matter as both countries had agreed to tackle such problems through intensive coordination and communication after last year’s incident.

“In our understanding, one of the principles is to manage troubled slaughterhouses case by case, instead of generalizing for all slaughterhouses,” he said in a text message, adding that threatening an export ban would not solve the problem.

According to Bayu, Indonesia and Australia have been committed to making animal welfare a common concern, and business people in both countries will uphold animal welfare in compliance with international best practices following the lifting of last year’s ban on live-cattle exports to Indonesia by Australia.

Australia suspended live-cattle exports to Indonesia for a month after a video showing cows being beaten and whipped before slaughter was aired on Australian television.

The footage caused outrage in Australia, while the government’s response angered farmers fearing the move would result in many Australians losing their jobs.

Following the Australian export suspension, Indonesia has examined the possibility of importing live cattle from other countries, including Brazil and Canada.

The Indonesian cattle industry regarded the ban as an opportunity to end the country’s dependence on live-cattle imports from Australia.

Australia annually exports around 500,000 cattle to Indonesia, valued at about $340 million and representing 60 percent of its live-cattle trade.

Australian live cattle supply up to 40 percent of Indonesia’s annual beef demand.

— JP/Linda Yulisman