ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (RFD-TV) — The U.S. sheep industry is calling for a trade review as producers face increasing competition from imported lamb.
Brad Boner with the American Sheep Industry Association says foreign lamb now makes up the majority of the U.S. market, putting more pressure on domestic producers.
“Of the lamb consumed in the United States is imported lamb. Our domestic product only market share is only about 25% of the total market. That has flipped since we also brought a 201 case in 1999. At that point in time, we had 3/4, 75% of the market share and the Australian New Zealanders had 25%. Those numbers have flipped now and we’re totally opposite of that. So we’ve lost that much market share in the last 25 years.”
Industry leaders say imported lamb was priced lower in more than 90% of cases, adding to the challenges facing American sheep producers.
The association warns that more producers could be forced out of business if conditions do not change.
