Canadian Ag Minister Announces First Shipment of Lambs to Vietnam

Jul 09, 2012

Shipment of Canadian Lamb Successfully Reaches Vietnam

Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced another trade breakthrough today for Canadian lambs entering into Vietnam. The first shipment of live Canadian lambs reached Vietnam safely with a value of $50,000. This is good news for Canadian sheep producers who are always looking for new market opportunities.

“Evident by today’s good news, the Canadian industry is benefiting from new market access secured by the Harper Government,” said Minister Ritz. “This is the first shipment of many, as Vietnam is a promising market, a strong trading partner, and a door to Southeast Asia for Canadian farmers.”

Minister Ritz is helping pave the way for sheep producers to get into traditionally untapped markets. The Minister congratulated the Canadian Livestock Genetics Association (CLGA) based out of Bowden, Alberta for being the first company to ship lambs to Vietnam. The Harper Government has been aggressive with securing new market access across all agriculture sectors especially for cattle, sheep and goats. Canadian sheep producers are now able to compete for access to a market value with an estimate of $50 million. The government has been a strong advocate for Canadian agriculture working in partnership with a number of commodity groups.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.