Australian sheep and lamb exports are facing scrutiny, as the US Trade Commission considers how imports are impacting the American domestic industry.
Australia’s sheep and lamb sector is preparing to defend its position in the United States after American industry bodies asked the US International Trade Commission to investigate lamb meat imports.
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US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer made the request on July 13, following a petition lodged in October by the American Sheep Industry Association on behalf of more than 100,000 US sheep producers.
The petition claims a sharp rise in imported lamb, up nearly 45 per cent between 2020 and 2024, and now accounting for roughly 73 per cent of the US market, has undercut domestic prices and is forcing some US producers out of business.
The investigation covers fresh, chilled and frozen lamb meat from all countries and does not single out Australia.
Australia is by far the largest supplier, having sent more than 43,000 tonnes to the US so far this year, about 74 per cent of the consumer market.
Australian lamb currently faces a 10 per cent US tariff.
National Farmers’ Federation president Hamish McIntyre said the NFF was backing Sheep Producers Australia, the Australian Meat Industry Council and Meat and Livestock Australia to lead the industry's response.
“There is no immediate impact on Australian sheep producers’ ability to supply the US market, and the industry is well-placed to engage constructively with the process ahead,” Mr McIntyre said.
He pointed to Australia’s track record as a reliable supplier and reiterated the NFF’s long-standing support for free, fair and rules-based trade.
Australian Meat Industry Council chief executive Tim Ryan said the organisation was already working with the supply chain and the Federal Government to mount a legal defence.
“It’s disappointing to see this type of investigation, but we are confident the Australian industry can deliver a robust, fact-based case demonstrating the mutual benefit of Australia’s trade,” Mr Ryan said.
Australian mutton and lamb currently makes up about 74 per cent of the consumer market in the United States.
Sheep Producers Australia chief executive Bonnie Skinner said Australian supply complemented US domestic production and helped meet year-round consumer demand.
Ms Skinner pointed to a long history of collaboration between the two countries’ producers through global industry forums to grow lamb consumption.
MLA North America regional manager Paul da Silva said decades of investment in the US market had benefited producers on both sides of the Pacific, and the organisation would keep engaging constructively with the process.
ASI's case leans heavily on trade data.
It says imported lamb and mutton made up 73 per cent of US consumption in 2024, with Australia supplying about three-quarters of that, and that Australian volumes climbed 28.9 per cent that year alone.
The group also points to a currency exchange rate it says favours Australian and New Zealand product over local lamb.
That said, the US flock and lamb consumption have both been in structural decline for decades, a trend that predates the recent surge in imports.
Under the US Trade Act, the ITC has 120 days to determine whether increased imports are a substantial cause of serious injury to the US industry, and can recommend tariffs or a tariff-rate quota if it finds in producers’ favour. In 1999, a similar investigation led to a three-year quota on Australian and New Zealand lamb.
