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U.S. sheep industry in a good spot

A U.S. sheep industry leader says the reopening of markets in Japan and Taiwan, plus the highest wool prices in history have stabilized the US sheep market.

Executive Director of the American Sheep Industry Association Peter Orwick says the industry is doing well financially.

“All you have to do is look about any other direction in agriculture and she’s not near as rosy.”

Last week, Japan agreed to import U.S. sheep and goat meat for the first time in 14 years. Orwick says Japan is the second country to reopen the market under the Trump administration. Taiwan is the first.

He says U.S. lamb companies will be quick to re-establish customer contacts in Japan since $170 million worth of lamb was sold into the Japanese market last year.

“We have the biggest, mildest rack of lamb available anywhere in the world and so it’s in demand, but it’s at that white table cloth level. There’s only so much of that restaurant trade in the world, so when you lack access to a rich country like Japan, you can tell it.”

The Lamb Checkoff and Meat Export Federation will oversee meat exports to Japan.