Milk-Fed Lamb from the Pyrenees Tender, locally sourced milk-fed lamb from the Basque Country

Regional Association of Sheep Breeders for Meat and Dairy Production in Aquitaine

Milk-fed lamb from the Pyrenees: tender, light, delicate, Pyrenean

Pyrenees milk-fed lamb is above all the story of 3 ancestral local breeds typical of the Basque Country and Béarn:

• The Manech with a red head, raised on the hillsides of the Basque Country
• The Manech with a Black Head originates from the Basque mountains
• The Basco-Béarnaise breed raised in the mountains of Béarn

These dairy breeds have historically been favoured for their great hardiness; they adapt perfectly to the rugged terrain of the Pyrenees, which favours the abundance of summer pastures.

The Pyrenees milk-fed lamb is exclusively suckled by its mother. In accordance with tradition, Pyrenees milk-fed lambs are only available for eight months of the year, from October 15th to June 15th. The summer months are dedicated to the transhumance of the sheep.

Thanks to its exclusively milk-based diet, the raw meat is white to light pink in color. Its flesh is juicy and very tender, with a slightly stringy texture.

“Generally, customers who discover this product are surprised by the tenderness of the meat, by its delicate flavor, which is not found in older lambs. It's a meat with a slight chewiness and a subtle hazelnut taste. It's best enjoyed slightly pink , ” says Dominique Massonde, Chef at Oppoca in Ainhoa. Alain Ducasse, the three-Michelin-starred chef, “is particularly fond of milk-fed lamb from the Pyrenees. Its flesh expresses the sweetness of milk, even in its mystical dimension… a subtle hint of spice, like the promise of paradise.” It's a low-calorie meat that combines gastronomic pleasure with dietary requirements.

A CONTROLLED AND CERTIFIED SUPPLY CHAIN

Consumer reassurance

Traceability, hygiene, and carcass preparation are described in a precise set of specifications respected by all operators in the sector: breeders, cooperatives, slaughterers, wholesalers, points of sale… All are regularly checked each year by an independent certification body.

The sector in figures

• 1997 dairy sheep farmers in the Pyrénées Atlantiques
• 620 breeders qualified for the Label Rouge and IGP certifications

Qualified breeders produce 150,000 labelable lambs, but only 21,000 are selected to enter into the Label Rouge and IGP schemes.

Exceptional and recognized product quality

• Light-colored, tender, juicy meat, good fat content, a portionable, ready-to-eat product => meets consumer expectations
• Produced in the Pyrenees, the Basque Country and Béarn => a promising and communicative terroir
• Sheep farming maintains the land, the landscape and biodiversity, and sustains active life in rural areas.
• A product with Protected Geographical Indication and Label Rouge certification => localized, quality, traceability, control
• A product consumed in Spain at Christmas instead of capon => a festive, "luxury" product
• A product beloved by top chefs. The favorite lamb of Alain Ducasse, Hélène Darroze, Michel Guérard, Yannick Alléno…