A CLOUD of sheep farts has forced a plane to land in Indonesia after it set off a smoke alarm.

The Aviation Herald reports the Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-400 freighter was flying from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

The plane was carrying four crew members and a cargo of 2186 sheep.

The incident could hold a lesson for companies planning to export live animals from Wellcamp Airport.

The airport announced on September 24 this year it received accreditation for international freight.

Any companies on the Darling Downs going into the live animal export trade may now want to take precautions to deal with flatulence.

The Boeing flight was 400nm south of Denpasar, Indonesia. when the crew received a smoke indication in a cargo bay.

The place descended for a safe landing about 45 minutes later.

Flight SQ-7108 was forced to land in Indonesia because of the farts (file photo).

Tests later revealed the alarm had been activated by exhaust gasses and manure produced by the sheep.

A Singapore Airlines spokesman told The Daily Mail: "On 26 October 2015, a Singapore Airlines Cargo Boeing 747 freighter aircraft carrying a shipment of goats, operating as SQ7108 from Adelaide to Kuala Lumpur diverted to Bali after the crew received a warning from the onboard fire alarm system."

Regarding claims that animal farts had caused the landing, SIA said: 'It is not able to be confirmed."

Australian sheep worker John Gee said having flown several places in close quarters with some not-so-nice smelling humans, the smell of those sheep would be more tolerable than another person reeking of garlic and body odour in the next seat.