Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig has ordered an inquiry into the treatment of Australian cattle exported to Indonesia.
Senator Ludwig said he was shocked by TV footage of mistreatment of these animals, shown on the ABC Four Corners program on Monday night.
He said it was clear that industry reforms to animal welfare standards had not gone far enough or been fast enough and much more needed to be done.
"I have ordered an immediate investigation into the footage by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and have asked them to provide me with all available options in response to the evidence," he said in a statement.
On the Four Corners program, film taken by animal welfare activists showed Australian cattle at various Indonesian abattoirs having their throats cut on average 10 times when it should take one stroke, dying prolonged deaths and being beaten and gouged.
Animals Australia, the RSPCA, and the Australian Greens and independent MP Andrew Wilkie, are now demanding the government end live cattle exports to Indonesia.
Industry body LiveCorp was handed the footage earlier this week and moved immediately to suspend trade to three abattoirs. It has sent training experts to a fourth.
"While we face many challenges in improving animal welfare in a developing country ... we've made major progress during the past decade," LiveCorp boss Cameron Hall has said.
"No other nation has the same commitment to animal welfare as Australia and no other country invests in animal welfare like we do."
The program sparked an immediate response from politicians.
Labor backbencher Kelvin Thompson told parliament on Monday he supported a ban of live exports to Indonesia, saying Australia should pursue the chilled meat trade.
Fellow Labor MP Janelle Saffin argued the same when she launched a private member's bill back in March.
Greens senator Rachel Siewert, who is also drafting up a bill to stop the trade, urged him to immediately cancel export licences, arguing that the draft laws could take months to take effect.
"These slaughter practices are very extreme and systematic, they are not isolated incidents," she said in a statement.
"This trade simply cannot continue in this fashion."
Senator Ludwig said he had directed the Department to implement a moratorium on the installation of any new Mark I restraint boxes, as seen being used on the Four Corners program.
He said that would apply to the instalment of any new boxes with Commonwealth funds across global markets.
"Further, I have asked the Australian Chief Veterinary Officer to coordinate an independent, scientific assessment of the on-going appropriateness of both the Mark I and Mark IV restraint boxes," he said.
Senator Ludwig said he had also requested a thorough briefing on all of the legislative and regulatory responses available to him, including the banning of trade to specific facilities or destinations.
"I asked industry at the beginning of this year for proposals on how welfare outcomes could be improved, particularly after animals arrive in importing countries. I am currently considering these proposals," he said.
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