The economies of South East Asia are among the most rapidly growing in the world. The income increases which have accompanied this growth have led to increased consumption of beef. One of the strategies which has been used by the countries in this region to cater for this increase in demand has been to import live cattle to distribute to feed lot operators and to the numerous small backyard farmers who have relied upon traditional crops and traditional production technologies for their livelihood. This paper provides an overview of the trade in live cattle imports and examines the arguments which have been used to justify this strategy. © 1994 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.