The ‘ProBiodiversity’ lamb from the Picos de Europa, winner of the European Commission’s Natura2000 award, is back on the market.
The FCQ distinguishes sustainably produced lambs with its brand and collaborates with farmers to obtain a fair price for their meat. This year the season will extend until Easter and will offer for sale about 1,000 carcasses weighing between 7 and 9 kilos each. The best suckling lambs of the Picos de Europa, which distinguishes the Foundation for the Conservation of the Bearded Vulture (FCQ) with the national guarantee mark ‘ProBiodiversity’ -a Natura2000 award from the European Commission-, will reach the market in the coming days. It is a seasonal product selected by the FCQ for coming from extensive livestock farming practices that respect the environment and from herds located in mountain areas of high environmental value for the conservation of the bearded vulture and other necrophagous birds. This year the season will be extended until Easter. Some 1,000 carcasses weighing between 7 and 9 kilos each will be offered for sale. In Asturias, Alimerka will be the distribution chain, having renewed its annual agreement with the farmers for a fair payment without intermediaries for the seventh consecutive year. In addition, the Paradores de Turismo de Asturias will incorporate, as in previous years, this product to the gastronomic offer of their restaurants. In 2024, the number of livestock farms included in the Pro-Biodiversity brand will reach 22. In addition, there are at least four others on the waiting list to join the brand.
Audited herds
The herds that are part of the ProBiodiversity brand have been audited by an external company in charge of verifying that all the parameters included in the regulations drawn up by the FCQ are satisfactorily met. Among other aspects, the ProBiodiversity mark establishes that the herds must spend at least six months in the bush and feed exclusively on natural pasture and forage. In addition, being part of this national mark implies not using any artificial methods to control the farrowing units and maintaining a high standard of animal welfare, both for the herds and for the guard and working dogs. To join the mark, the Bearded Vulture Conservation Foundation selects each year farmers who practice this traditional management of the reciella (small livestock), helping both the sustainability of mountain livestock and to fix population in rural areas.
Source:
https://www.lne.es/oriente/2024/02/14/vuelven-mercado-lechazos-probiodiversidad-picos-98158850.html