The lamb product is the second new Welsh product to be awarded the UK GI status, following Gower Salt Marsh Lamb which earned the status last month.
The new, independent Geographical Indication (GI) schemes were launched after the end of the Brexit transition period and, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), are designed to ensure that popular and traditional products from across the country can obtain special status to mark out their authenticity and origin after the end of the transition period following Brexit.
Defra explained that the introduction of the schemes mean that shoppers can buy their favourite food and drink with confidence, and producers whose foods are granted GI status benefit from intellectual property protection, so that others cannot imitate them.
Cambrian Mountains Lamb is a seasonal product. After a winter in the valley, the lambs are shepherded up to the hills for the long summer grazing on natural pastureland rich in varied grasses and herbs. This contributes to the taste of Cambrian Mountains Lamb and produces a lighter weight hill lamb.
In addition to the lambs’ natural diet, they are produced exclusively from ewes that are predominantly either Welsh Mountain or from other traditional Welsh native hill breeds. This makes for slower maturing lamb which gives more time for its “delicate and sweet” flavour to develop.
From today, only legitimate ‘Cambrian Mountains Lamb’ from the region can be sold with the UK GI seal of approval.
“Welcome to the Welsh GI family”
Huw Davies from Aberdauddwr Farm and a member of the producer group said: “We are really pleased to achieve this UK GI status; in recognition of the unique product we produce in these hills which is the ‘Cambrian Mountains Lamb’. Having UK GI status, I hope the consumer will be able to enjoy Cambrian Mountains Lamb for many years to come.”
Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths said: “This is great news today and I want to congratulate the producer group on their success and welcome them into the Welsh GI family.
“There are several other exciting Welsh food and drink products currently applying for the UK GI status and I look forward to seeing the Welsh GI family continuing to grow.”
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
