Prairie producers try to meet rising lamb demand

Sheep markets in Saskatchewan and Alberta can’t keep up with the demand for lamb.

The sheep market is quite strong, said Gord Schroeder, executive director at the Saskatchewan Sheep Development Board.

“You know if you consider the freight and cost to get them to other markets in Ontario and stuff, our prices are good here. We have a limited supply available right now. The old crop is basically gone, and the new crop is not ready for market yet,” he said.

“Demand is good and prices have been good for producers. The cost of production is up, but producers are in a good place where they can make money now.”

Prices have been quite strong over the past couple of years, he said.

In 2025, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency reported high slaughter volumes for Western Canada and Ontario. The slaughter volumes were 11.9 per cent higher in 2025 compared to 2024.

Lamb prices started strong this year, an indication for a favourable spring season.

“Generally, Alberta lamb prices entered 2026 on a high note. The average price of market lamb for slaughter in 2025 was 9.53 per cent higher than in 2024. Average prices for 2026 were 6.8 per cent higher than January 2025,” wrote a spokesperson for Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation.

“Spring is a key seasonal market for lamb due to an array of upcoming ethnic holidays where lamb is part of the preferred celebrative meal,” wrote the spokesperson.

Easter, Passover, Ramadan, Eid-al-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha are all holidays where lamb is often served. Schroeder said he hopes there will be enough lamb available for these holidays but can’t really say.

Canadian lamb consumption was an estimated 2.4 pounds per person in 2024 (retail yield), an increase of 16 per cent from 2023.

The level of consumption is still modest compared to some Middle Eastern, European and Asian regions, where lamb has been a diet staple for centuries.

Human population growth in Alberta and Saskatchewan has affected overall market demand in both provinces.

Alberta is not self-sufficient in lamb production, said the government spokesperson.

“Consumption is on the rise, but Alberta consumers are reliant not only on domestic production, but on imports. In 2025, western Canadian federally inspected slaughter volume increased, but provincially inspected slaughter volume in Alberta remained relatively stable,” said the spokesperson.

Growing lamb production involves expanding the ewe breeding herd base, improving lambing rates and reducing death and predator losses.

Alberta did not export live sheep, but it periodically imports sheep from the United States. Some of the imported sheep and lamb meat go to the food service sector, and some finds its way into Alberta retail stores.

There are currently about 2,000 producers in Alberta and about 700 registered with the Saskatchewan Sheep Development Board in Saskatchewan. Alberta is the second largest sheep producer after Ontario.

Cache Valley disease

Last year, most of Canada lost large numbers of sheep to Cache Valley disease, which is carried by mosquitoes.

“If the animal is bit by a mosquito carrying the virus, then the animal could abort or have lambs that don’t survive or malformed lambs,” said Schroeder.

The disease spread across Western Canada to Ontario but hasn’t yet appeared this year.

“This will help the supply chain because right now we are short of animals,” said Schroeder.

“It had an impact on the spring of 2025 because a lot of lambs didn’t survive that season. And since it was a short supply, everybody was scrambling for what was available. We probably sold lambs that were lighter than normal, just to try and meet some demand. This spring we’re trying to catch up.”

Declining inventories

Prairie provinces are all experiencing declining inventories due to depleted soil moisture conditions, feed availability and pasture conditions.

However, eastern provinces reported a 2.4 per cent increase in total sheep inventory as of July 1, 2025, with Quebec gaining 2.2 per cent and Ontario increasing by three per cent.

Due to lack of supply, it’s hard to get lamb into large retailers.

“We’re seeing an uptake in what I call small retail outlets and farmgate, depending on province,” said Schroeder.

He said there has been an increase in predation pressures, especially from coyotes, because the pelts are no longer worth anything in Saskatchewan. As a result, there’s less trapping and snaring, and sheep are more at risk.