The MEP for Ireland East, Liam Aylward, has been appointed to prepare a report on behalf of the European Parliament on the future of the sheep sector in Europe.
The report, for the agriculture committee of the parliament, will be finalised after a public hearing into the future of the industry in Brussels next September.
Representatives from the sheep and lamb sectors in Ireland will be invited to the hearing.
Ireland is the fifth largest producer of lamb in Europe, with 35,000 flock owners and an annual output worth €250m.
However, the number of sheep in Ireland has fallen significantly in recent years.
Over the past few weeks there has been a number of protests by the dwindling number of Irish sheep farmers, the price they are being paid and the volume of imports from New Zealand.
Mr Aylward's report is being prepared at a vital stage of the ongoing negotiations on World Trade.
