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Taiwan reopens to American lamb

The American Sheep Industry Association says the reopening of Taiwan to American lamb will provide long-term export growth. Executive Director Peter Orwick says that market, closed to U.S. lamb since the first U.S. case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in 2003, is ripe for growth in white tablecloth restaurant business.

“That’s what we’re hoping for is long-term that we’ll have more opportunity to move racks and loins, the very highest-valued cuts of American lamb,” Orwick told Brownfield Ag News.

Last year, Taiwan imported nearly 18,000 metric tons of lamb, valued at more than $74 million.  Most of that was supplied by Australia and New Zealand.  Orwick says Taiwan is a small market for those countries.

“For us, it would definitely be a top-five market for American lamb exports,” said Orwick.

The next goal, according to Orwick, is to reopen the Japanese market to U.S. lamb.

“Japan actually was our number one market a dozen years ago,” said Orwick.

There’s an overabundance of lamb in cold storage, said Orwick, so it will be no problem to fill additional export demand.

AUDIO: Peter Orwick (11 min. MP3)

 

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