Lamb Producers Make Case for Import Safeguards

Iowa sheep producers are taking their fight to Washington. Late last week, the American Sheep Industry Association presented key testimony before the U.S. International Trade Commission.

The group argued that a massive surge in cheap lamb imports—primarily from Australia and New Zealand—has devastated local operations across the state. Back in 1999, imports made up just 30 percent of the U.S. market. Today, that number has skyrocketed to over 70 percent, undercutting prices and squeezing profit margins for Iowa farming families.

This trade hearing comes after U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Greer requested a Section 201 safeguard investigation, backed by dozens of lawmakers pushing for trade relief. Local producers say without immediate market protections, the future of Iowa’s domestic lamb industry remains under severe threat.