The NSW Farmers Association says it is concerned that strained trade relations as a result of the suspension of Australian live cattle exports to Indonesia could threaten grain exports to the country – Australia's biggest market for bulk export wheat.

Indonesia received 32 percent of Australia’s bulk wheat exports last financial year, making the country the largest importer of local grain.

NSW Farmers’ Grains Committee Chair Mark Hoskinson expressed concern about the potential for flow-on impacts from the live cattle ban for the grain industry.

“Indonesia is a valuable market for grain growers and imports almost a third of Australia’s wheat exports – compared to our next biggest markets Japan and South Korea, which import 11pc and 10pc respectively,” Mr Hoskinson said in a press release issued this morning.

“Indonesia is one of the most rapidly expanding and lucrative wheat export markets with the potential to continue growing.

“It is the fourth most populous country in the world with an increasing appetite for Australia’s prime agricultural produce,” he said.

NSW Farmers’ has repeated its call to the Federal Government to immediately reopen the live cattle export trade to accredited abattoirs.

“Adopting a thorough process of inspection and accreditation will allow trade to resume and ensure no more Australian cattle are subject to cruelty in Indonesia,” Mr Hoskinson said.

“If we don’t immediately reopen the trade to Indonesia we can unfortunately expect a flow-on effect in other agricultural export commodity markets, which could be devastating for Australian wheat exports,” he said.