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Label Rouge — PGI — Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Between the Crau and the alpine pastures, the transhumant lamb brushes through the wild thyme and breathes the mountain air.
Lamb from Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, PGI (IGP) since 2007.
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Agneau de Sisteron embodies Mediterranean transhumance in its purest and most authentic form. Sisteron, a small Provençal citadel perched on the banks of the Durance, has long been a crossroads for the movement of flocks between the Alps and the plains of Provence — to the extent that its abattoir has become the leading sheep abattoir in France. Sheep pastoralism has been documented for more than six thousand years in south-eastern France, at the very dawn of livestock farming. The ewes belong to hardy Provençal breeds — Mérinos d'Arles, Préalpes du Sud or Mourérous —, reared through extensive, pastoral farming across vast rangelands.
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The name "Agneau de Sisteron" itself is more recent: it emerged in the 1920s on the initiative of Maurice Richaud, a Sisteron wholesale butcher who began selecting and dispatching lambs from his region to the most prestigious dining tables. The Label Rouge was approved in 1995 (LA no. 09/95), recognising traditional pastoral farming know-how. The INAO approved the PGI application on 26 June 2003, and the PGI was officially registered at European level on 16 February 2007. Today, the sector brings together around 260 qualified farmers, organised into five producer organisations, who carry on this transhumance across a precisely defined territory.
The PGI's geographical area covers most of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region as well as the area known as the "Drôme provençale". Farming here is extensive and pastoral: farmers must maintain a stocking rate of fewer than ten ewes per hectare of forage area, on rangelands that cannot be mechanised. The lambs, suckled by their mothers, are slaughtered young — between 70 and 150 days —, yielding pale meat with a delicate flavour and remarkable tenderness. Local slaughter and traceability (identification of lambs three days after birth, declaration to the association César, the defence and management organisation) also characterise this PGI.
Appearance
Pale, slightly pink meat. Fine, uniform cut.
Aroma
Subtle, delicate aroma.
Taste
Delicate on the palate, tender meat, light flavour, with no pronounced gamey note.
Texture
Very tender — one of the attributes most consistently highlighted by the sector.
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A lamb suited to gentle cooking: cutlets briefly grilled (5–6 min per side), spit-roasted leg of lamb for 45–50 min, spring navarin, tagines, chops with herbs. Pairs well with Provence wines (a light red, Côtes de Provence Cru Classé). A light seasoning respects its natural delicacy: salt, pepper and fresh herbs are all it takes. Ideal for Easter and spring celebrations.
Since: 1995
Key requirements: Mérinos d'Arles, Mourérous or Préalpes du Sud ewes; extensive, pastoral farming (< 10 ewes/ha); lambs slaughtered between 70 and 150 days; local slaughter; traceability from birth
Since: 2007
Key requirements: Born, reared and slaughtered in the PGI area (most of PACA and Drôme provençale); rustic Provençal breeds; extensive and pastoral management
INAO approval 2003.
Trade association
Cooperative
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The cooperative describes itself as France's second-largest sheep cooperative, formed in 2015 from the merger of two south-eastern cooperatives each active for more than thirty years, Provalp and Les Bergers du Soleil. It claims 568 member farmers across 15 départements in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions, "from the Alps to the Mediterranean". A team of staff — drivers, specialist technicians, vets, sales representatives, secretaries — implements the strategic directions set by the member farmers.
It collects lambs from farms and transports them to the abattoirs in Aubenas (Ardèche) or Sisteron prior to marketing. It reports selling half of its lambs under the official designations Label Rouge Agneau de Sisteron, Label Rouge Agneau de l'Adret and Agneau Bio, and the other half under its own commercial brand, "Agneau Soleil".
| Address | 1 All. des Chênes, 04200 Sisteron, France |
| 04 92 61 45 00 | |
| contact@agneausoleil.com | |
| agneausoleil.com | |
| Facebook page | |
| @agneausoleil | |
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Part of the production is certified organic, since 2011. |
