THE cruelty of the live animal exports can only be avoided by banning the trade, say the Queensland Greens.

The Queensland Greens today reiterated its opposition to the "inhumane trade" in response to last night's Four Corners episode proving once again that appropriate animal welfare standards cannot be guaranteed.

The episode looked at a shipment of over 20 0000 Australian sheep that were bashed, stabbed and buried alive.

The shipment had been stranded off Bahrain in violation of our memorandum of understanding with that country, then diverted to Pakistan.

"Live animal exports must end, that's the only way to stop these horrific events from occurring," Queensland Greens Senate candidate Adam Stone said.

"No Australian ever claims that such suffering is acceptable. The only issue that needs to be resolved is whether it is preventable. The fate of those sheep demonstrates yet again that it is not.

"It is simply not within Australia's power to control what happens to our livestock once they are outside our jurisdiction."

Mr Stone said animals must be slaughtered in Australia.

"This will create jobs for abattoirs and meat processors, and the meat can be exported in frozen and processed form," he said.

Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon's Live Animal Export (Slaughter) Prohibition Bill 2012 aims to end the live animal export trade in Australia if passed into law.

It is presently before the Senate, and Mr Stone said "basic human compassion dictates that all parties must support it."