The group, formed of representative bodies covering sheep production, processing and trade from across the EU, talked about the challenges and opportunities facing the sector.
There will be two more meetings between now and May 2016, when the findings will be presented to EU agricultural commissioner Phil Hogan.
Transparency
Copa and Cogeca, the EU farming union group, which took part in the meeting, said it wanted EU-wide promotion of sheep meat to be stepped up, better market transparency and a cut in red tape to benefit the sector.
Speaking at the meeting, Charles Sercombe, chairman of the Sheep Meat Working Party said: "We welcome the opportunity for industry to be involved in this taskforce set up by the EU Commission.
"It is important to ensure that we have a viable future for this sector as it plays a vital role in boosting the economies of rural areas and providing growth and jobs where often no alternative jobs exist.
‘Natural handicaps’
"Sheep also play an important environmental role with 70% of areas facing natural handicaps in the EU grazed by sheep, maintaining the EU’s grassland and pastures."
Sercombe said it was essential to develop the industry and boost production and consumption. “To ensure a viable sector in the future, market prices need to cover production costs and we need to address pressure from imports, with 15% of lamb consumed in the EU imported.
“In the medium term, consumption is expected to rise globally and there are good opportunities for the sector.”
Proposals
Copa and Cogeca said the EU Commission should consider its proposals for the sector. It said it wanted:
- a boost in promotion measures and creation of new tasty recipes to make lamb more appealing;
- an increase in market transparency and price reporting through the food chain and possibility of setting up a sheep meat market observatory explored;
- a cut in red tape and bureaucracy which stifles innovation;
- tolerance to prevent farmers being penalised unfairly when it comes to unintentional loss of ear tags for example in the EID system and cross compliance measures;
- and measures to address economic problems faced by livestock farmers hit by attacks from large carnivores like wolves.
The EU sheep flock is roughly 85 million head, and annual production is approximately 710,000 tonnes carcase weight.
Strategy
In October, when the decision to hold the meetings was announced, the European Livestock and Meat Trades Union (UECBV) stressed the need for a strategy aimed at securing robust EU sufficiency in sheep meat output over 10 years.
“This is an important and realistic target that all stakeholders should work towards,” the union said. “As far back as 2009, a European Parliament report on the sheep meat sector highlighted the fragile nature of sheep meat production in the EU.
“Not only economic issues, such as production, consumption and trade, are at stake, but also rural development across the EU.”