Finalizing the Karoo Lamb GI in South Africa

Karoo Lamb: a central part of South Africa’s culinary heritage

Karoo Lamb is a household name in South Africa and could be described as a central part of the country’s culinary heritage. It is also world-renowned for its intrinsic sensory and health attributes.

The Karoo is a semi-desert region of South Africa with low rainfall and extremes of heat and cold. Since the late 1880s, sheep in the Karoo have foraged on its sparse and arid plains and shrubs, giving the lamb its characteristic texture and herby flavour.

These unique factors, combined with the area’s climate and traditional farming methods, make Karoo lamb unique, and are what prompted the move to register it as a GI, with a programme to amend the applicable GI regulations. The programme foresees the finalization of the Karoo Lamb GI registration towards the end of 2022.

It is being funded by the GI Support Fund (Facilité IG), an initiative launched by CIRAD and the Agence française de développement (AFD) in 2021.

A project led by the Karoo Lamb Consortium, a historical stakeholder in the GI

The funding provided will support the activities of the Karoo Lamb Consortium, which has been working over the years to establish empirical evidence and scientific confirmation of the link between the product and the Karoo region, an important step towards registering Karoo Lamb as a South African GI. The consortium was established in 2012 to represent players from the region interested in producing and marketing the lamb produced there. It comprises farmers, abattoirs, meat packers/processors and retailers, and its main function is to protect the name Karoo Lamb from abuse and to position the product as one of South Africa’s first official GIs.

The GI Support Fund: timely support for finalization of the Karoo Lamb GI

The funding granted by the GI Support Fund will be used to modernize and improve management of the GI Consortium and governance and development of the product quality mark, to ensure the long-term growth and sustainability of the Karoo Lamb GI. Cooperation with government officials to amend regulations and finalize registration of the Karoo Lamb GI is an essential part of the process.

Since the official start date of 1 April 2022, a process has already been initiated to modernize the existing traceability system, which is crucial for any product of origin. At the same time, funds have been invested in training young chefs and caterers in the attributes and use of Karoo Lamb.

The second project funded by the GI Support Fund

The Karoo Lamb GI is the second project to be funded by the GI Support Fund. The Fund is implemented by AFD, and was launched in 2021 by CIRAD and AFD to provide technical and financial support for the development of GIs in Africa and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. The Karoo Lamb Consortium responded to a call for projects from the GI Support Fund, becoming the second project to be funded.