Australian live cattle exports were a growing $1 billion trade from northern Australia to Indonesia for finishing and slaughter for Indonesian consumers. This all changed in recent years with the trade being disrupted by a series of constraints which have shrunk the trade and raised uncertainty. Will it get back on trend or continue to shrink and disappear? Greater integration between Australia’s live cattle trade and Indonesia’s cattle feeding and processing industries through investment and technological transfer offers the potential of not only better meeting Indonesia’s beef security but also strong processed meat opportunities in rich neighbours to the benefit of both countries. A continuation of the recent volatile and uncertain trade will be detrimental to both countries, with Indonesia losing a food-secure, reliable livestock supply to which value was added, and Australia a significant industry for one more dependent on costlier markets. The current Australian government involvement in the trade appears too large, and pushing Australia out of the trade with increasing bureaucratic demands and associated costs, These bureaucratic demands have been ineffective and have few incentives to lower costs which have been unfairly imposed directly on exporters and indirectly on Indonesian meat consumers. Greater private sector involvement through joint ventures, labelling, social licence and the like appear better ways to address this mainly prescriptive and costly situation.