Welsh Lamb and Beef, Protected Geographical Indication (PGI)
My Dad told me that the quality of meat (he was a butcher) depends on the quality of the land. If you don’t have good land you won’t get good grass and to get that you need rain, lots of it. Now I’m not dissing the Welsh weather but you do get some rain (as do the Highlands and Lake District) the highest annual rainfall was 3000mm, that’s 3 metres. No wonder Tom Jones sang about the green, green grass of home.
So add to that grass, clean air, water (lots of), heather and traditional farming practices spanning the centuries and what do you get? Well, apart from stunning scenery, you get some wonderful livestock producing some of the best quality lamb and beef in the world.
In recognition of these unique qualities the European Commission (EC) has awarded Welsh Lamb (2003) and Welsh Beef (2002) the coveted status of Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). This means Cattle and Lamb must be born and reared in the Welsh countryside. Many of them free to roam the green hills of Wales for their entire lives. Some lambs are raised on the lowlands and these breed earlier in the year, higher up the breeding is delayed due to a cooler climate which means we get a longer run of New Season or Spring Lamb.
Traditional farming practices have remained fairly unchanged in rural Wales for centuries. The animals are well looked after though and are checked regularly to keep standards of production high. Animals are sold at local markets and the butchering takes place at local abattoirs so live stock are not forced to endure long journeys in trucks.
You can buy Welsh meat here. Quite often available in supermarkets too.
There’s some seriously good, quality meat available from below.
More info and compliance here.