USDA TO FURTHER PROMOTE DOMESTIC LAMB TO AID PRODUCERS

USDA TO FURTHER PROMOTE DOMESTIC LAMB TO AID PRODUCERS    The U.S. Department of Agriculture will use $1 million in grants from a three-year $100 million assistance plan to help the country’s sheep and lamb producers better compete with imports.
   The grants will fund marketing, promotion and education products created to increase the sale of U.S. lamb, the USDA said. In 1999, the U.S. International Trade Commission ruled 6-0 that “lamb meat is being imported into the United States in such increased quantities as to be a substantial cause of threat of serious injury to the domestic industry.”
   “This assistance program was designed by the USDA to help the U.S. lamb industry while respecting our international trade obligations under the World Trade Organization and other agreements signed by the United States,” said Kathleen Merrigan, Agricultural Marketing Services administrator.