Sheepmeat
The US is Australia's largest lamb export market (in terms of volume and value), with shipments in 2010 reaching 34,093 tonnes swt, valued at A$295 million FOB. Chilled lamb makes up a large proportion of Australian lamb sent to the US, with a focus of the trade being at the US retail sector.
US sheep inventory
Compared to other sheep producing countries, the US national flock is relatively small and has been in decline since the mid 1940's. The long-term, consistent decline, in the US sheep flock has been due to shifts to more profitable alternative land uses, predator death loss and more recently the impact of drought conditions in key sheep regions.
The US sheep inventory (as at 1 January 2011) is currently at 5.53 million head. Prospects for US flock expansion remain limited with the US ewe (1 year or older) flock down 2% year-on-year, at 3.26 million head.
US lamb production
Due to its relatively small sheep flock, lamb production in the US is low. Of all sheepmeat produced in the US, approximately 95% is classified as lamb.
US sheepmeat consumption
Per capita sheepmeat consumption in the US is very low, equating to around 0.5kg/per capita per year.
The US's lamb consumption totalled 144,424 tonnes (boneless equivalent) in 2010, with per capita consumption in 2010 at approximately 0.4kg (retail weight). Per capita lamb consumption in the US has continued to remain at relatively the same levels for the past 15 years. In comparison US beef, pork and poultry consumption in 2010 was at 27kg, 21.6kg and 45.4kg per capita (retail weight) respectively.
In light of the economic downturn in 2008, the US foodservice sector saw a significant slump in sales and customer traffic during 2009, particularly in the high end/fine dining foodservice sector. This as a consequence saw lamb consumption decline (0.5kg per capita to 0.45kg per capita) due to a high rate of lamb (particularly US domestic lamb) being consumed in the fine dining foodservice sector.
US sheepmeat imports
Imports make a sizeable contribution to the lamb supply in the US. In 2010, imports totalled 61,025 tonnes, accounting for 45% of total lamb supplies in the US market.
Find out more about the North America lamb market in the North America Lamb Red Meat Market report
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