Fact sheet
The earliest signs of sheep farming have been traced back to the Middle East about 13,000 years ago. A symbol of gentleness associated with religion, lamb embodies Christ’s sacrifice atoning for original sin in the Christian religion.
Lamb is a one-year old sheep and the offspring of the ewe and ram. We distinguish between three types of lamb:
- baby or sucking lamb, slaughtered before it is weaned at about 30 or 40 days, and weighing form 12 to 15 kg. Fed on milk, its meat is white, tender and quite sweet;
- slaughter lamb, slaughtered from 70 to 150 days, and weighing from 20 to 25 kg. It represents the vast majority of lamb sold in France, particularly from December to June. Its pale pink meat is just as tender as baby lamb but the taste is more pronounced;
- grazing lamb is the final stage of its maturity (6 to 9 months, 35 kilos), while the meat is light red after several months spent in pasture.
Its meat has a stronger taste than the others. France counts about forty sheep breeds split into five main categories:
- early breeds: high growth and reproduction potential;
- grazing breeds: in the major farming regions with an oceanic climate;
- hardy breeds: difficult areas in the highlands and mountainous regions;
- Merino breeds: known for meat production;
- dairy breeds: to produce milk and cheeses.
A distinction is made between Label Rouge (including Bourbonnais, Pauillac, Aveyron, Sisteron, Quercy, Pyrénées, Périgord, Vendée, Pays d’Oc, etc.), IGP (Lozère, Limousin, Poitou-Charentes, etc.), and AOC (salt meadow from Mont Saint-Michel and Baie de Somme, Barèges-Gavarnie, etc.) lamb.
Production and consumption
The French sheep population numbers 8.7 million head, including 83% lamb. With a production representing 51% of consumption (4.8 kg/year/household), France imports 35.5% of its mutton and lamb. The largest producing countries are New Zealand (28.5 million head, extensive outdoor farming, top quality young lamb), Australia, Argentina and Ireland.
Lamb is a tender, fine meat that is slightly fatty but with a distinctive taste with many grass and floral flavours. It includes many choice cuts like leg or shoulder of lamb, or lamb shank, loin, saddle, baron, fillet, noisette, ribs, sweetbreads, kidneys, etc. (Sources: CIV, Institut de l’élevage, SCEES)
At Rungis Market
"Mr Michel Lebœuf, Manager of Soviarungis:
“Slaughter lamb is what you find at Rungis, two-thirds of which comes from Ireland or the United Kingdom and one third French. We sell about 12 to 15 tons/week from a line ranging from lamb cuts to certified lamb and milk-fed lamb with a paler more tender meat and a better taste.”
Sabine Moreux
