Videos showing Australian cattle being subject to inhumane treatment in Indonesian abattoirs have prompted a ban on live cattle exports to Indonesia. Is banning the only option?

As Indonesia’s income per capita increases there has been rising domestic demand for imported livestock including from Australia thanks to imported beef’s favorable taste, relatively affordable price and availability in supermarkets. The trend has been the Indonesian government’s concern in meeting the beef self-sufficiency target by 2014.

The government has launched various programs to assist small farmers and set the tariff (currently as low as 5 percent and heading to zero under some Free Trade Agreements such as AANZFTA in 2020) and non-tariff barriers. This self-sufficiency program may explain why Australia sends live animals to Indonesia instead of beef.

The Indonesian governme...