Deal to give US a better taste of lamb

By LIAM DANN


Meat industry leaders have sealed an agreement with the American sheep meat industry which will lead to better promotion and increased sales to the United States.

Representatives of the US industry have agreed for the first time to work with New Zealand and Australian exporters to promote lamb consumption in the US.

A framework for the pilot project was agreed at the Tri-nations Lamb Group meeting at Tamworth in New South Wales this week.

Meat and Wool New Zealand chairman Jeff Grant hailed the agreement as a remarkable achievement.

"Just three years ago, the US industry didn't even want to talk to us," he said.

For years, the tiny US lamb industry has fought against New Zealand and Australian imports. It agreed to set up the Tri-nations group after a World Trade Organisation ruling forced the US to cut high tariffs on lamb from Australasia in 2001.

Grant said the Americans were now starting to warm to the idea that the countries could work together to increase US lamb consumption as a whole.

A framework has been agreed to begin sharing marketing information next year with a view to launching some type of joint programme in 2006.

While the US market now has the advantage of no quotas, sheep meat still suffers perceptions gained when US soldiers were fed greasy canned mutton during World War II.

New Zealand exporters hope to convince US consumers that lamb is a premium meat product. Successful marketing campaigns in other parts of the world have added huge value to New Zealand lamb.