Australia Defends Lamb Exports as US Considers New Tariffs on Sheep Meat

At a US International Trade Commission hearing, Ambassador Greg Moriarty argued that the American lamb sector's decline is due to drought, falling wool demand and the removal of wool subsidies, rather than the presence of Australian lamb imports. He said imports simply fill the supply gap left by shrinking domestic production and that any trade restrictions would increase consumer costs and limit product availability. US Trade Ambassador Jamieson Greer has directed the commission to assess whether imports constitute serious injury, a prerequisite for possible tariffs or quotas.

Representatives of the US sheep industry, including trade lawyer Paul Rosenthal, countered that Australian imports have displaced US producers and harmed the sector. Australian trade lawyer Matthew Nicely noted that most surveyed US producers did not support additional trade barriers, while highlighting that lamb prices have surged and Australian shipments have fallen because of drought. The panel, recalling a 1999 case that led to temporary tariffs later overturned at the WTO, is slated to release its findings by mid-November and forward any recommendations to President Trump by January.