Agneau_de_pré-salé

<i>Agneau de pré-salé</i>

Agneau de pré-salé

French sheep farm produce

Agneau de pré-salé (French: "Salt marsh lamb") is a type of lamb which was raised in salt marsh meadows of France[1] (especially Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy and the Bay of the Somme in Picardy), and parts of the UK and the Netherlands. The sheep graze in pastures that are covered in halophyte grasses with a high salinity and iodine content,[2] causing their meat to have a distinct taste considered a delicacy.[3]

Sheep grazing the salt meadows around Mont Saint-Michel

In 2006, salt marsh lamb raised in the area around the Bay of the Somme was registered as an Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC),[4] followed by registration as an EU Protected Designation of Origin (PDO, French: Appellation d'origine protégée, AOP) in 2013 under the name Prés-salés de la baie de Somme. In the same year also salt marsh lamb raised near Mont-Saint-Michel was registered as PDO under the name: Prés-salés du Mont-Saint-Michel.[5]

Salt marsh lambs can also be found, to a lesser extent, in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.[6][7] The Gower Salt Marsh Lamb was protected under UK law as a PDO in 2021,[8] and in 2023 (despite opposition from France) under EU law.[9]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    J. P. Doody (2008). Saltmarsh conservation, management and restoration. Springer. p. 60. ISBN 978-1-4020-4603-2. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  2. [2]
    Hugh Johnson (1 March 2006). A Life Uncorked. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-24850-2. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  3. [3]
    Gordon, Iain; Duncan, Patrick (March 17, 1988). "Cattle may safely graze". New Scientist. p. 56. ISSN 0262-4079.
  4. [4]
    Lascève, Agnès (June 19, 2011). "La baie de Somme". France Today. FrancePress. Archived from the original on 2011-08-14. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
  5. [5]
    "Pré-salés du Mont-Saint-Michel". European Union. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  6. [6]
    Keating, Sheila (28 June 2008), "Food Detective: Salt Marsh Lamb", The Times Online
  7. [7]
    Bio-production and ecosystem development in saline conditions (PDF). The National Council for Agricultural Research. June 2000. ISBN 90-5059-113-2. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 25, 2012. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  8. [8]
    "Gower Salt Marsh Lamb". UK government. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  9. [9]
    "Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1547 of 26 July 2023 entering a name in the register of protected designations of origin and protected geographical indications ('Gower Salt Marsh Lamb' (PDO))". European Commission. 27 July 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
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