It has long been a goal of the SCA to break down the outdated European quota system, which limits the volume of Australian lamb and mutton available to EU consumers to the equivalent of just one-third of a lamb cutlet per person per year.

"Imagine the response you would receive at the dinner table if you served up a third of a lamb cutlet to each member of your family. It would not be pretty," SCA president Chris Groves said.

"As the Doha Round agricultural negotiations inch towards a conclusion, increased access for Aussie lamb and mutton into the restrictive EU market is a must for any successful conclusion to the WTO trade talks."

Mr Groves said the irony of the situation was that EU production of lamb was falling, resulting in falling consumption.

"The fear is that lamb may drop right off the menu for European meat eaters, which would be a disaster," he said.

"It must be remembered that the Australian sheepmeat industry did not gain one kilogram of additional access into the EU from the Uruguay Round of WTO negotiations in 1995 and we're determined not to let that happen again."