Three out of four people say stunning should be made mandatory in the slaughter of Australian cattle, whether done here or overseas, a poll suggests.
A sample of 1500 people were asked whether they supported or opposed introducing legislation that would make stunning compulsory as part of survey commissioned by the charity Australians for Animals.
It found 75 per cent supported the idea, while just five per cent were opposed.
Support jumped slightly to 77 per cent outside the capital cities.
Charity founder Sue Arnold said the community had spoken, and that the federal and state governments should move to legislate mandatory stunning for all Australian cattle without exception.
"Cattle experience pain and terror in the same way we do," she said in a statement on Sunday.
"If humans were sentenced to death by having their throats cut whilst conscious, it would be a crime against humanity."
The federal government banned live cattle exports to Indonesia in June after Australian-bred cattle were filmed there being beaten and gouged during slaughter.
The trade has since been reopened with new assurances of animal welfare, although animal groups insist live exports must be banned for good.