The Indonesian Meat Importers Association (Aspidi) has urged the government to respond to Australia’s ban on meat exports to Indonesia by improving surveillance at slaughterhouses.

The Australian government on Tuesday suspended live cattle exports to 11 Indonesian slaughterhouses accused of cruel treatment of cattle.

The report, which aired on the ABC’s Four Corners program, showed cattle at the slaughterhouses being beaten and gouged, having their throats hacked at and dying prolonged deaths.

The 11 slaughterhouses in Jakarta, Bogor, Bandar Lampung and Medan were selected at random in March to be videotaped by Lyn White, a former police officer and campaign director of the animal welfare group Animals Australia.

“This is [due] to a lack of surveillance,” Aspidi executive director Thomas Sembiring said.

He said the Agriculture Ministry’s direc...