Australia suspended today all live cattle exports to Indonesia for up to six months after a public outcry following shocking images of mistreatment in slaughterhouses. Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig said the trade, worth 340 million US Dollars a year would not start again until safeguards were in place to ensure animal welfare in Indonesia. The blanket ban comes a week after Canberra suspended live beef exports to 11 Indonesian abattoirs that featured in a report by state television which showed gruesome footage of cattle being abused. It included kicking, hitting, gouging of eyes and breaking of tails of some animals as Indonesian workers attempted to force them into slaughter boxes. Indonesia vowed to investigate but has conceded there are no regulations in local law that could be used to sanction those found to be abusing animals.