NT parliament calls for end to cattle ban

(AAP) - The Northern Territory Parliament has called on the federal government to resume the export of live cattle to Indonesia as soon as possible.
With members of the Indonesian consul in the gallery, NT Chief Minister Paul Henderson told parliament only the federal government had the power to lift the ban on live exports, but that he would do everything in his power to expedite the resumption of trade.
"This issue is a crisis for the Northern Territory," he said.
"Territorians have a much better understanding of the live export trade than most Australians do," he said, adding that NT residents supported the industry but did not support the cruelty that was exposed on ABC Television.
"The temporary ban has provided for a circuit breaker to ensure that we get processes in place, through the industry with governments and with Indonesia, to ensure that when the trade does resume we can be absolutely guaranteed that Australian cattle will not end their lives as we saw on Four Corners.
"I think a number of people in the cattle industry acknowledge that we needed a circuit breaker in this."
Speaker of the NT legislative assembly Jane Aagaard recalled parliament on Wednesday evening at the request of the NT Labor government and the NT Country Liberal Opposition.
"This issue is beyond politics and I know every member in this house is going to support this motion," Mr Henderson said.
"I move that the NT assembly acknowledges the value of the cattle industry in the economic, social, cultural and environmental fabric of the Northern Territory."
He called on parliament to support live export within acceptable animal welfare standards and to acknowledge that the commonwealth government's temporary suspension had created major financial and personal difficulties for those directly and indirectly involved in the industry.
"(We resolve) to work cooperatively to support the progressive and expeditious accreditation of supply chains into Indonesia ... and the immediate resumption of cattle supply to these supply chains.
"The NT legislative assembly ... acknowledges that the long term sustainability of the live cattle export industry is dependent upon animal welfare issues being addressed."
He said members of the NT parliament would manage the logistics of animals currently in transit, work to ensure that the industry had a sustainable long term future and would investigate opportunities for increased local processing.
NT opposition leader Terry Mills, who visited Indonesia last week, said he hoped the forwarding of Wednesday night's debate to Prime Minister Julia Gillard would influence Canberra.
"This ban should be lifted in days, not weeks or months," he told parliament, adding that a swift resolution would protect relations between the two countries.
He said the majority of Indonesian abattoirs ran quality operations.