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PGI — Label Rouge — Midi-Pyrénées
The lamb of the Causses du Quercy: tender pink meat, delicate and subtly herbal flavour, reared suckling its dam across the limestone expanses of the Lot.
Lamb from Midi-Pyrénées, PGI (IGP) since 1996.
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Sheep farming in the Quercy has been attested since the Neolithic era, and its renown dates back to Gallo-Roman times, when woollen blankets and bedding from Cahors were already sold on the market of Rome. This millennia-old pastoral tradition relies on a local breed, the Caussenarde du Lot, the only one capable of making sustainable use of these poor limestone plateaux. It was the sheep-farming crisis of the early 1980s — marked by massive imports of low-cost lamb — that prompted breeders in the Lot to establish a quality-driven initiative: on 2 April 1982, the Syndicat d'Élevage Ovin du Lot created the Association des Éleveurs d'Agneaux Fermiers du Lot élevés sous la mère, which registered the trademark « Agneau Fermier du Quercy ». This label obtained Label Rouge certification in 1990 — a first for sheep meat in France — followed by European PGI recognition in 1996.
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The Causses du Quercy form an arid, karstic limestone plateau with poor, shallow soils, where sheep farming has for centuries made sustainable use of land unsuitable for arable farming. These dry grasslands, known as xeric grasslands, nevertheless harbour a varied flora beneficial for grazing. The Caussenarde du Lot, a hardy, resilient breed and a particularly good milker, is perfectly suited to this environment. The lambs suckle their mothers for at least 70 days, supplemented with hay and cereals up to a maximum of 150 days — prolonged suckling that produces delicate, tender meat.
The Parc Naturel Régional des Causses du Quercy protects this exceptional terroir. Quercy shepherds perpetuate a centuries-old pastoral economy, shaped by dry-stone walls and the cazelles that still dot the landscape. Villages such as Cabrerets remain strongholds of sheep farming, where each farm continues to keep the causse alive to the rhythm of its flocks.
Appearance
Light pink raw meat, low fat content, firm fat ranging from white to slightly pink.
Aroma
Subtle, with no pronounced animal note.
Taste
Fine aromas, mild flavours typical of lamb, flavourful.
Texture
Tender, with firm to very firm fat.
fed primarily by suckling at the teat, for a minimum of 70 days
cereals and cereal derivatives (at least 30% of the supplementary feed), fodder, then gradual access to pasture
on a single holding, from birth to slaughter, with measures to limit animal stress
young lamb, 150 days maximum
13 to 22 kg, a light lamb guaranteeing tenderness and delicacy
full traceability via lambing logbook and certificate of origin, in accordance with PGI/Label Rouge specifications
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Since: 1996
Area covered: Lot (in its entirety) + neighbouring communes of Corrèze, Dordogne, Aveyron, Tarn-et-Garonne, Lot-et-Garonne
Key requirements: Minimum 70 days suckling, young lamb (150 days maximum), carcass weight 13–22 kg
Since: 1990
Area covered: Lot (in its entirety) + neighbouring communes of Corrèze, Dordogne, Aveyron, Tarn-et-Garonne, Lot-et-Garonne
Key requirements: France's first sheep meat Label Rouge, association created in 1982
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