Tri-Lamb Group working to put lamb on the menu in the US
30 January 2015
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is working together with its sheep farming counterparts from the US and Australia to get
Americans eating more lamb.
B+LNZ’s Central South Island Director Anne Munro has just been at the annual Tri-Lamb Group conference in Nevada with
B+LNZ’s North America Manager Terry Meikle and Federated Farmers’Meat & Fibre Industry Group Chairperson Rick Powdrell. Representatives from the Sheepmeat Council of Australia (SCA) and the
American Sheep Industry Association (ASI) also took part.
The Tri-Lamb Group was established in 2004 to grow demand for sheepmeat in the US, mainly by increasing consumers’
awareness of lamb’s nutritional value.
“This collaborative marketing campaign has had real impact in the US market, but there is definitely room for us to be
doing more. Americans still eat a relatively small amount of lamb per capita, so we’re working together to do what we
can to increase that,” Munro said.
The conference agreed that the joint marketing campaign would put more of an emphasis on social media in 2015, targeting
nutritionists and dieticians as well as lamb suppliers and retailers.
The Tri-Lamb Group also agreed to work more closely on other areas of common interest, including better engagement with
young sheep farmers, raising the profile of sheep farming, and collaboration on research around sheep predators.
B+LNZ engages regularly with overseas farmer organisations in key export markets.
“Building better relationships with the likes of SCA and ASI helps us understand the viewpoints of sheep farmers from
other countries, and to learn from them. For example, this year we talked a lot about how sheep farmers in each of our
countries deal with droughts – something that is obviously relevant for Kiwi sheep farmers right now,” Munro said.
About Beef + Lamb New Zealand
Beef + Lamb New Zealand Ltd is the farmer owned industry organisation working for a confident and profitable sheep and
beef industry. It works to help farmers make informed business decisions and promote their collective interests.
Priorities include investing in research and development that meets the needs of farmers and the sector, developing farm
and farmer capability and delivering knowledge that drives farm performance. It also works to attract and retain talent
for the sector, supports the sector’s market opportunities, advocates for farmers ability to operate and builds sector
confidence and profile within communities.
ENDS