Ontario’s sheep industry has long been the envy of shepherds elsewhere in North America – and in Oceania for that matter. In the past, producers elsewhere have told us that the “Toronto” market is the highest-priced in the world.
We knew that the ban on exports following the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy crisis in 2003 took a toll, but at least lamb isn’t dependent upon export markets, like beef. Ontario eats twice as much lamb as it produces. So we were surprised to learn about the challenges that producers face in this seemingly profitable industry. Our story starts on page 14.