Draft:Karoo lamb

Karoo Lamb, or Karoolam, refers to all meat cuts from free range lambs that are born, raised, and slaughtered in the Karoo region of South Africa.

Specific characteristics
Karoo lamb meat has specific aromatic and sensory attributes, often described as herbal and musky, which have been directly attributed to the lambs' free range diet of endemic Karoo shrubs, typically including Plinthus karrooicus ("Silverkaroo"), Penzia spinescens ("Skaapbossie"), Pentzia sphaerocephale (‘Berggansie”), Pentzia lananta ("Blesbokkaroo"), Pentzia globose ("Vaalkaroo"), Pentzia calcarea ("Meerkatkaroo"), Pentzia incana ("Ankerkaroo"), Eriocephalus ericoides ("Kapokbossie"), Eriocephalus spinescens ("Doringkapokbossie"), Salsola glabrescens ("Rivierganna"), and Pieronia glauca / Rosenia humilis ("Perdebos").

Traceability and certification
To ensure the authenticity and quality of Karoo Lamb, the South African government has registered the name "Karoo Lamb / Karoo Lam" as a South African Geographical Indication on 27 October 2023 (Government Gazette No. 49556, Regulation 3992) in terms of the Government Gazette No. 48015, 10 February 2023, Regulation 3023 This means that only lamb meat that meets specific criteria can be labeled as "Karoo Lamb."

To qualify as a certified Karoo lamb supplier, farmers, abattoirs and retailers must register with the Karoo Lamb Consortium or with the Department of Agriculture (see section 2 of Government Gazette No. 49556, Regulation 3992). The Karoo Lamb Consortium takes care of all audit and compliance requirements, and issues official packaging labels and the various rights to individuals to continue marketing Karoo lamb.