The Australian Livestock Exporters' Council suspended over the weekend live export of cattle to Egypt following the release of video footing by Animals Australia showing extreme cruel practices on animals for culling at Egyptian abattoirs.

It was the second time that the council stopped shipping cattle to Egypt over similar problems, the first time was in 2006 which lasted four years. In 2011, the council made a similar move on Indonesia.

Animals Australia said the video was made inside two Egyptian slaughterhouses approved to process Australian cattle. One shot show a cow that fell off the processing line and chased through the abattoir. Later, the animal's legs were cut and it was stabbed to

"It is quite terrible and it shows systemic problems in these abattoirs for our animals. And how Australia ever sent animals back there after a suspension in 2006 is beyond us," Animal Australia spokeswoman Glenys Oogjes said.

Alison Penfold, chief executive of the Livestock Exporters' Council, described the video as exceptionally distressing and said that slaughter practices in the two Egyptian abattoirs are unaccepted to Australians and the industry.

She said the industry is investigating and is working with Egyptian authorities to ensure the proper treatment of Australian animals at Egyptian abattoirs.

Following the release of the video, which were filmed in October 2012 and April 2013, several groups called for the total ban of all live cattle.

Agriculture Minister Jose Ludwig said he initiated a probe on Wednesday after the department received the video. He added Egyptian authorities are cooperating with the investigation.

The NT Cattlemen's Association said the group had not shipped any live cattle to Egypt since July 2012, so those animals that were in the video were probably part of the 2011-12 shipments. However, the association questioned why Animal Australia did not report the October incident earlier which could have spared the cows from terrible death or brutal slay practices.

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