Indonesia last month announced that it was slashing import quotas for live cattle from 520,000 in 2011 to 283,000 in 2012, as part of its goal of becoming self-sufficient in beef production by 2014.

The announcement followed a horror year for the industry, in which the Gillard government suspended live exports to Indonesia for a month in response to a harrowing Four Corners report which exposed cruelty in Indonesian abattoirs.

Exporters greeted the new year not knowing how many import permits would be issued for the first quarter of the year.

Northern Territory Livestock Exporters Association chairman Kevin Mulvahil said he understood Indonesia had this week issued permits for 60,000 cattle for the quarter.

He said while exporters were expecting a low allocation given the cut in the annual quota, ''60,000 was on the lower side of what we expected''. He had hoped Indonesia would issue between 80,000 and 100,000 permits for the quarter, as reports indicated significant capacity in feedlots there.

He said the low allocation would make business ''tougher'' for exporters, some of which would have to find other routes to recoup their shipping costs.

Lach MacKinnon, the chief executive of the Australian Livestock Exporters' Council, said he was not surprised by the size of the first quarter allocation, as Indonesia tended to import fewer cattle at this time of year due the wet season and greater demand during Ramadan.

But he said the lower annual import quota would be felt by exporters and the pastoral industry. ''Any reduction in numbers … no matter what industry you're in, a reduction in numbers usually means a reduction in income,'' he said.

Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig said his department had already received seven notices of intent from exporters wishing to ship cattle to Indonesia this year. He said these were being assessed, and approvals would likely be granted soon.