Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association executive director, Luke Bowen, said about 100,000 head of feeder cattle had been exported to Indonesia since the month-long ban was lifted.

But he said fears remained within the industry that extreme animal rights groups were looking to sabotage live export.

"Confidence is an issue in Australia and Indonesia - industry members are concerned animal activists are continuing with their campaigns to end the trade and the rug could be pulled out from under them again, just as abruptly," he said.

Mr Bowen also said an economic bubble was developing due to underlying structural issues caused by the trade ban, which may not surface until next season or beyond.

Cattle prices, which have held up well in recent months, were masking deeper financial issues not clearly evident to untrained observers, he said, including loss of land values and disruption of business trading cycles.

He said the Government’s $25,000 business assistance packages and low interest loans had been unable to provide any real respite from the ban’s true financial impacts on industry, with many businesses suffering from eroded equity as a consequence.

In September an Indonesian animal rights group posted vision to Animals Australia, allegedly filmed in late August in three Indonesian abattoirs.

Cattle Council of Australia (CCA) executive director, David Inall, said the vision, which he viewed with the RSPCA, depicted some poor handling practices such as poor head restraint and knife work, but did not show any deliberate torment of animals.

It also failed to clearly identify if the animals being slaughtered even originated from Australia. Mr Inall said the footage was testament to the importance of Australia’s presence in the complex market in helping to improve animal handling practices throughout the supply chain.