AI-generated illustration
PGI — Limousin
"Agneau du Limousin is the sweetness of green grass transliterated into tender flesh, a heritage of the hills of the Massif central."
Lamb from Limousin, PGI (IGP) since 2000.
AI-generated illustration
Agneau du Limousin is a child of the Massif central. Sheep farming here dates back to the Neolithic, when humans became farmers and stockbreeders on these granite lands: for a long time across the region, sheep were valued above all for their wool. Over the centuries, this extensive pastoralism endured across the vast natural meadows of the Limousin plateau, shaping a bocage landscape ideal for grazing — the fertile ground on which the modern Agneau du Limousin industry would be built from the 1980s onwards.
AI-generated illustration
Competition intensified in the 1980s with the arrival of British lamb on the European Common Market: the Limousin industry had to differentiate itself to hold its ground. Local sheep cooperatives — today Ovins Berry Limousin (OBL) and Ecoovi — responded in 1984 by creating the commercial brand ‘Le Baronet’, showcasing farmers and their produce just as the market opened up. In 2000, PGI status was granted to Agneau du Limousin, which today brings together nearly 900 farmers across the three departments. Le Baronet now accounts for a sixth of the volumes sold under this PGI, in a market where lamb accounts for just 3 kg per inhabitant per year in France.
The terroir of Agneau du Limousin is first and foremost a natural environment: terrain suited to extensive farming, with ewes reared predominantly outdoors and given supplemental feed in the sheepfold only after weaning, during winter or in times of drought. The PGI specifications require a diet based on grazed grass or hay, with winter cereal supplementation containing no components of animal origin, growth promoters, or sulphonamides. The lambs are reared suckling their mothers for at least sixty days, then slaughtered before the age of ten months, with traceability guaranteed from pasture to plate.
Appearance
Light pink flesh, sometimes tinted pale red depending on age; very fine white cover fat, delicate muscle grain
Aroma
Gentle grassy aroma, light notes of hazelnut and dried hay
Taste
Subtle, gentle flavour, slightly sweet, without harshness or toughness; notes of honey and dried flowers on the finish
Texture
Tender, never stringy; the lower half of the leg literally melts in the mouth
lambs are born in the three departments of the PGI area (Corrèze, Creuse, Haute-Vienne)
mother's milk for at least 60 days, forming the basis of their diet
ewes reared mostly outdoors on natural meadows; grass and hay, with no silage
cereal and forage supplement permitted during winter or drought periods, with no growth additives or sulphonamides
lambs aged under 10 months; carcasses selected for conformation, fat cover, weight and age
each animal identified from birth through to the retail shelf
AI-generated illustration
Agneau du Limousin is cooked simply, its intrinsic quality needing no artifice. A whole roast leg of lamb, served with a light honey and wild thyme jus, reveals all the sweetness of the terroir. Chops are grilled over a wood fire, lightly touched with fleur de sel and rosemary — barely 8 minutes of cooking for meat that remains pink at the core. In a spring stew with peas and new carrots, the neck and shoulder, slow-cooked for a long time, yield a sauce of remarkable depth. Wines from the Médoc (Saint-Julien, Pauillac) and Bourgogne (Côte de Beaune) elegantly accompany these dishes.
Since: 2000
Key requirements: Limousin area (Corrèze, Creuse, Haute-Vienne) + bordering areas; meat breeds; suckled by the mother for a minimum of 60 days, then forage/supplement; lambs born, reared and slaughtered in the area; full traceability
Unlike other Limousin meats (beef, veal, pork), Agneau du Limousin only carries PGI (IGP): Label Rouge is not approved for this product.
SAS — Direct sales
Get listed and reach more lovers of regional produce.
Request a listing