VOCAL anti-live-cattle export campaigner and Ipswich political hopeful Dr Patricia Petersen will meet face to face with cattle farmers in the Northern Territory next month.

Dr Petersen, the former Greens candidate who has previously organised rallies protesting against live exports, will visit the properties of farmers affected by the Federal Government’s recent temporary ban on the practice.

Now set to run as an independent candidate in the next state election, Dr Petersen said she had been invited to visit by the Northern Territory Cattleman’s Association.

“They requested that I go up and meet with them directly,” she said. “They wanted to meet face to face and wanted to show me their farms and their situation.

“I think I need to do that. There is a big difference between being here and being there to see the situation on the ground.”

She said she expects a tough audience at first, but said both she and Northern Territory Cattleman’s Association executive director Luke Bowen agreed to hear each other out.

The Northern Territory trip will last for two days and see Dr Petersen visit a few different cattle farms in the region.

She said she will not change her anti-export stance and would try to explain her point of view to the cattle farmers.

Dr Petersen said banning live exports altogether would not automatically be a bad idea for cattle producers, with many options for the livestock to be processed in Australia.

Mr Bowen said he was happy to have Dr Petersen come up for a visit and to explain to her the concerns of cattle farmers.

Meanwhile, Mr Bowen told ABC Radio yesterday that live-cattle export trade to Indonesia could fall by about two-thirds before the wet season starts in northern Australia.

There is still no sign the Federal Government will grant permits to Indonesia, despite lifting a temporary ban on exports earlier in July.

“It is possible that only 30 per cent to 40 per cent of the historic trade may go this year,” he said.

He said the road ahead “is looking worse than what we have come through so far”.