Australia's highest profile animal welfare organisation believes the live export industry should be given some credit for the improvements it has made in the past couple of years.

However, the RSPCA says it remains opposed to the live trade and says the treatment of Australian sheep sent to the Middle East for a Muslim feast proves just how hard it is to guarantee humane handling and slaughter offshore.

RSPCA national president Lynne Bradshaw strode into the "lion's den" in Townsville this week to talk to a conference of sheep and beef producers and live exporters about community perceptions and expectations of their business.

Her timing was prescient.

On Wednesday evening ABC's Lateline ran footage of Australian sheep being cruelly handled and slaughtered as part of a major religious event in Jordan.

It was grisly and undignified and according to Animals Australia it pointed to further failings in Australia's $40 million investment over the past two years in an approved pathway for sheep and cattle from paddocks here to plates overseas.

It is called the Export Supply Chain Assurance Scheme (ESCAS) and it was developed following the suspension of cattle exports to Indonesia in 2011 - once again after confronting footage supplied by Animals Australia was aired on the ABC.

Federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce says there will be a full investigation into the latest incident and both he and the live export industry itself say strong action will be taken against those found to be responsible for any ESCAS breaches.

Despite the heightened emotions swirling around their business, the RSPCA's Ms Bradshaw says she was not nervous about facing so many of the people who make their living out of live exports.

Federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce says strong action will be taken against those found to be in breach of the ESCAS. ( ABC News: Peter Lewis )

"People ask me the same question - and I wasn't sure what to expect. But when I've engaged with country people, farming people, it's just been a very good experience," she told the ABC's Landline.

"It's something I relish - I'd like to do more of it," she said.

Ms Bradshaw quickly warmed to her task and carefully explained the difference between the RSPCA, which has had plenty of skin in the animal welfare game in Australia for 175 years, compared to the relative newcomers among the gaggle of animal rights lobby groups that have emerged in recent years.

"The RSPCA isn't anti-farming," she said.

"We're an animal welfare organisation and there's a big difference between animal welfare and animal rights.

"Our whole policy base is predicated on using animals for foods and fibre, but that must be done humanely.

"And it's that humane aspect message that must be got out to the live export industry."

RSPCA wants to see 'incremental change' to live export industry

Ms Bradshaw says the RSPCA has been opposed to live exports for 30 years and is not about to change its position.

"But we are realistic that whilst the Government is saying this trade will continue and endorsing it, the RSPCA want to work with all the stakeholders to work out how we can assist to bring incremental change through," she said.

National Farmers Federation chief executive Matt Linnegar welcomed the RSPCA's olive branch but wondered when they were going to acknowledge the enormous harm to humans that anti-farming campaigns were having on lives and livelihoods tied up with the live trade.

"If we are talking about the impact they've had on people and communities, absolutely they should," he said.

"They had absolute flagrant disregard for what was going to happen there.

"For them it was all about putting animals first.

"Yet I suspect most Australians would accept there's a duty of care in terms of animals and animal welfare - no question about that - but if we are starting to put them in front of people I think we have our values all mixed up."

Ms Bradshaw declined several opportunities at the conference to apologise to farmers for the unintended consequences of closing down their trade and shutting them out of markets because of issues beyond their control at the overseas end of the supply chain.

"Well I don't think an apology is the way to go," she said.

"Obviously we are very mindful of the human aspect - we are not a cold-hearted, miserable organisation that doesn't care.

"It doesn't really help us to go over and over this again and again. What we need to do is to make sure it doesn't happen again."

For more on this story watch Landline on Sunday at 12pm on ABC1.