LAgneau de Charlevoix: A reserved designation project

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LAgneau de Charlevoix A reserved designation
project

• Lucie Cadieux,agr
• La Ferme Éboulmontaise, Charlevoix, QUÉBEC CANADA

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A Brief History of Lamb production in Charlevoix

• During the French rules Sheep were mainly
  produced as a local source of wool and meat
• The country cottage and vacation resort
  development in Charlevoix increased the demand
  for lamb
• The lamb production is developing during the 1970s

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The decline of the lamb production

• Markets and prices fell
• Little interest in the sheep production
• Difficulties to conventional farming
• Harsh winter climate, short growing season
• Population decline, particularly youth
• General decrease in agricultural land used

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La Ferme Éboulmontaise The Charlevoixs lamb
instigator

• Little local lamb on the menus of the fine
  restaurants in Charlevoix was noticed
• Grouping the few local lamb producers left for
  marketing to restaurants and to tourists at the
  farm food stand
• Lucie Cadieux worked closely with chefs to
  develop the Charlevoixs Lamb basical qualities
  and characteristics

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Regulation respecting reserved designations (Loi
sur les appellations réservées au Québec, 1996)
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Quebec registering program for labeling farm
products

• Farmer product LOGO
• A product made entirely at the farm and the whole
  chain of production is controled by the farmer
  Ex. Grass Chicken
• Artisan product LOGO
• A product done respecting traditional modes of
  processing Ex. Many farmer cheeses

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Charlevoixs lamb labeling project on the way

• Drawing up the schedule of conditions
• Applying for a designation of origin (DO)
• Government officials proposed to change our
  demand of a DO to a PGI (protected geographical
  indication)
• New application for the Charlevoix lamb PGI

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The Charlevoixs lamb protected geographical
indication (PGI) pilot-project
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PGI pilot-project

• Creating a dialogue between the producers
• Revising the schedule of conditions by a comity
  of all the parties

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PGI pilot-project

• Visiting the farms, the slaugther and processing
  facilities and the milling operations to validate
  the schedule of conditions
• Determining a control plan for the whole chain of
  production

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PGI pilot-project

• Testing for E. Coli to garantee innocuousness and
  salubrity of the product
• Organoleptic tests for determining the specific
  qualities and characteristics of the Charlevoixs
  lamb carcass

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PGI Pilot-Project

• Ensuring the production of the Charlevoixs lamb
  to be economically sustainable and viable
• Process of certification with logos and legal
  protection

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The qualities and characteristics of the
Charlevoixs lamb PGI

• Feeding with forage along with grains as oat and
  barley of the region, without corn
• Suckling at least 60 days
• Carcass very lean less than 10 mm fat, weight of
  14-20 kg and pink colored
• Maximum 190 days
• Soil and climate effects
• Special cuts

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PGI Pilot-project

• Official schedule of conditions of the
  Charlevoixs lamb
• Final report submitted to the Ministry of
  Agriculture - Waiting for the verdict!

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Protected geographical indication of Charlevoix
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Protected geographical indication of Charlevoix
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Following the Charlevoixs lamb PGI designation
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Viability of the Charlevoixs lamb PGI
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• Genetic specificity in the long term
• Breed for genotype resistance to scrapie
• Health program

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• Producing evaluation tool
• Sheep farming formation for the producers
• Charlevoixs lamb producers Association is the
  master key of the success of this reserved
  designation

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• Feeding programs need to be adapted to the
  specificity of Charlevoix
• Ensuring local grains availability and certifying
  its origin

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• The producers Association should be involved in
  the meat processing in order to inovate in
  specific cuts and products offer

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• Target the specific niche markets to determine
  the potential development of the Charlevoixs
  lamb production

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• Determine the marketing structure for all
  producers of the PGI Charlevoixs lamb to ensure
  their economical viability

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Difficulties encounter to develop a new mode of
farming

• Time needed to develop a product label in order
  to the specific qualities and characteristics
• This new mode of production has to follow the
  rules of conventional farming (ex. quotas,
  provincial lamb marketing agency)
• Controlling the risk of usurpation by legal
  actions

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Benefits of this mode of farming to sustainable
rural development

• Allowing a regional dialogue between all parties
• Increasing diversification of very specific
  products for specific markets
• Strengthening the use of inheritance species and
  breeds or varieties in order to face global
  standardization
• Labeling is an alternative for financial
  requirements of conventional farming
• Being beneficial to the environment
• Reaffirming the value of the historical and the
  natural attributes of the region

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• Revitalization of our small rural communities
• Maintaining jobs in the region
• Economical diversification by products processing
  within Charlevoix
• Government institutions and linking structures
  are supportive to these modes of producing
• Strengthening the Charlevoix renown gastronomy
• High quality allow capital retention in the
  region
• Protecting local success in global markets
• Strengthening the tourism industry of Charlevoix
• Discovering new value-added products tied to the
  region by the know-how of the artisans, farmers
  and chefs
• Allowing a dynamic cooperation between producers
  and chefs
• Value-added Charlevoix producers are condemned
  to quality

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Thank you!Merci!
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