Local pastoralist Paul Herrod, 55, of Ballongilly Station, said the export ban was a “disaster for the industry", which was going “to kill” both, cattlemen and their stock.

“If the ban is not lifted very soon we will have our very own welfare problems coming up," he said.

“Yards are packed with cattle which were meant to be sold a week or two ago already - and nobody knows what to do them.

“People don’t make any money because they can’t sell their cattle – and there’s only so long that you can go without an income.

“It will get to a point when people can’t pump water anymore, because they don’t have money for diesel.

“Without water hundreds or thousands of cattle are going to die in the yards.

President of the NT Cattlemen’s Association, Rohan Sullivan, said with “new calves being born and weaners to be weaned” people would have “to make room” in their paddocks.

“People may well be in the situation that they have to make room, but I hope that we’re not looking at cattle dying in the yards.”

Mr Sullivan said NT cattlemen could be “forced to make some tough decisions, if the trade doesn’t open up again in a good time”.

“People will have to look at options to keep the cash flow going. Hopefully this doesn’t mean to pack up and leave, but people will be forced to sell their cattle for a much lower price.”

Mr Sullivan said currently northern cattle were being trucked south to abattoirs and feedlots.

“But about 6000 cattle are still being held in depots around Darwin and Western Australia and it will get to a stage that people will have to make a decision on what to do with them.”

Paul Herrod, who has been working in the cattle industry for more than 35 years, said the industry had been “put in a mess” which “will threaten the future of the Territory”.

“The Northern Territory needs life export – and a six-month ban is not a six-month ban for the industry in the Top End. If the ban is lifted in six months we’re right in our wet season – we can’t muster or truck any cows. A six-month ban is a 12-month ban for the NT.

“And by the time we’re back in the Dry not many people will still be around to get the industry going again.”