Indonesia has lifted a ban on beef imported from Australia and New Zealand after religious leaders dropped concerns about its suitability for Muslim consumers, officials said Wednesday. Seventy-six containers of Australian and New Zealand beef were cleared for import on Monday after Islamic leaders gave the green light, agriculture ministry livestock official Tjeppy Soedjana told selfnews. The Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI) said in late March that it could no longer certify Australian and New Zealand beef as halal, meaning it had been slaughtered in line with Islamic practice. 'The meat came from some sources which we didn't endorse but we have since checked them and certified them to be halal,' MUI chairman Ma'ruf Amin said. The agriculture department reportedly banned beef imports from Australia and New Zealand in June 2. The order to release the beef was issued while Australian Trade Minister Simon Crean held a meeting with his Indonesian counterpart, Mari Pangestu, in Bali to discuss trade liberalisation. The Indonesian government is reportedly concerned over a flood of beef imports from Australia and New Zealand after the two countries signed a free trade agreement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations last year. The government has made provision for 12 million dollars in loan interest subsidies to help meat and dairy producers cope with the increased competition, according to The Jakarta Post newspaper. 