The Q1 2025 US Quarterly Lamb Report conducted by Midan Marketing shows many positive trends for American lamb despite relatively flat numbers. The report compares lamb sales from Q1 2024 to Q1 2025. Overall, lamb sales were down slightly in the US for the first 13 weeks of the year, with a 1.4% decline in sales and a 3% decrease in volume. American lamb sales fared slightly better, down 1.2% in volume sales and a marginal growth of 0.4%. However, these numbers don’t give the full picture.

The Easter holiday is an important factor to consider when comparing numbers. The figures for Q1 2024 include sales from the Easter holiday, whereas the 2025 report does not account for Easter sales, as the holiday fell much later this year. This impact was felt by many holiday staples, including lamb, smoked ham and even potatoes.

“Seeing the American lamb sales hold steady in a year-to-year comparison despite not including Easter lamb sales is significant,” said American Lamb Board Chairman Jeff Ebert.

Sales by market 

Another key finding in this report is evident when examining lamb sales by market. A few major markets, including Houston, Denver and Atlanta, saw an increase in lamb sales, while Boston and New York experienced sharp decreases in lamb sales for Q1. In fact, the decrease in national sales can be entirely attributed to the Northeast market, where lamb saw a 9.5% decrease in dollar sales and a 14.6% decrease in volume sales. The report finds that had it not been for the Northeast, the overall US would have seen an increase in both dollar and volume sales of lamb for Q1 2025, even without adjusting for the Easter holiday.

Sales by cut

Leg roasts and racks were primarily responsible for the decrease in dollar sales over this 13-week period. Both cuts experienced a decline in both dollar and volume sales. Meanwhile, loin chops saw a slight increase in dollars, due largely to a sharp increase in price, while showing a significant decrease (6.4%) in volume sales.

Ground lamb, however, was a different story. Ground lamb experienced a strong surge in sales from 2024 to 2025, with a 17.2% increase in dollars and a 19.2% increase in pounds sold. In fact, the middle two weeks of March were the best-selling weeks for ground lamb in history.

Lamb exports

In addition to these bright spots in domestic sales, US lamb exports also saw a notable increase. In fact, March lamb exports were the largest since 2019. This fueled strong first-quarter export numbers, which show a 26% increase compared to Q1 2024, reaching 747 metric tons valued at $4.1 million. These increases were driven by larger shipments to Mexico and the Caribbean.

Source: American Lamb Board