IQI’s lamb meal: sustainably sourced from Australia and New Zealand

September 02 2026 - Blog

Lamb meal is an important protein source in many pet food formulations. IQI sources all its lamb meal from Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), including the lamb meal for the European market. At first glance, the long distance might appear a drawback regarding  sustainability. However, the data show that ANZ lamb meal has a surprisingly low environmental impact. That ultimately makes it one of the most sustainable lamb options available. Here’s the math: 

1. Extremely low on-farm emissions

On-farm emissions in Australia and New Zealand are among the lowest in the world. A 2022 study by AgResearch, conducted for the New Zealand beef and lamb association, shows that New Zealand’s lamb farming footprint is less than 50% of the global average. This difference is highly relevant, because the farming stage is typically the largest contributor to the total environmental footprint of lamb meal. The efficient, pasture-based production systems in both Australia and New Zealand play a key role in keeping these emissions low.

2. Transport contributes far less than expected

Although ANZ lamb meal travels over long distances, the transport impact is much smaller than many assume. To assess this impact, IQI asked environmental footprinting expert Blonk to carry out a life cycle assessment (LCA) in 2023. This evaluation of the environmental impact across all stages of production and transport shows that ocean freight from ANZ to Europe or North America adds only around 0.13 kg CO₂-eq per kilogram of product.

Also, the LCA shows that ANZ lamb meal has a lower total carbon footprint, even after transport is taken into account. The total footprint of ANZ lamb meal delivered to Europe is 2.89 kg CO₂-eq per kilogram of product, compared with 3.85 kg CO₂-eq for European lamb meal. This means its total carbon footprint is approximately 25% lower. 

3. Free range and grass-fed production systems

Sheep farming in Australia and New Zealand benefits from ideal geographical and climate conditions, allowing sheep to graze outdoors throughout the year. An often-forgotten aspect of Oceanian sheep farming is that it is predominantly free range. These pasture-based, grass-fed systems require far fewer external inputs than more intensive production methods, making them naturally resource-efficient.

How IQI adds even more value to ANZ lamb meal

In short, ANZ lamb meal offers a sustainability profile that stands out for all the right reasons. For IQI, that’s only the starting point. Once the product arrives in Europe or North America, our dedicated facilities add further value through careful cleaning, screening, metal detection and on-demand antioxidant dosing. These steps help ensure a clean, consistent ingredient that performs reliably in pet food production. 

Learn more in our product leaflet

Want to dig deeper into the technical details, quality specifications and sourcing advantages of ANZ lamb meal? You can find all details in our product leaflet.