An unprecedented joint investigation by the RSPCA and Animals Australia found that slaughter boxes provided to Indonesian abattoirs by Meat & Livestock Australia and LiveCorp, with the support of the federal government, have resulted in the slow, torturous death of millions of animals over the past 10 years, using methods illegal in Australia and in breach of international animal health guidelines.

Suffering ... an Indonesian worker with an Australian-supplied restraint box. Credit:Animals Australia

The industry has already moved to suspend supply to three Indonesian abattoirs, after being confronted with the horrific footage shot by an animal welfare investigator who gained access to 10 Indonesian slaughterhouses in March.

The chief executive of LiveCorp, Cameron Hall, has not ruled out the possibility of further abattoir closures. He conceded the Australian export industry had been grappling with some issues surrounding the misuse of the Australian-supplied ''Mark 1'' restraint boxes and the inadequate training of Indonesian meat workers. He insisted, however, that the practices recorded on video were atypical of slaughtering conditions across Indonesia.

''We know there are some poor practices … but this is not something you can just demand change from in a foreign country. We're talking about a developing country, where there's not same level of investment in infrastructure and the industry's first priority is making sure people have food to eat,'' Mr Hall said.