About Us

The “Karoo Lamb Consortium” is a registered not for profit company (NPC 2012/078056/08) composed of:

• registered Karoo farmers located in the Karoo as defined;

• registered abattoirs in the Karoo; and

• registered butchers and meat packers marketing Karoo Lamb and with longstanding links with Karoo abattoirs.
  

Directors

The Memorandum of Incorporation (MOI) of The Karoo Lamb Consortium makes provision for a maximum of 12 directors to represent the various stakeholders involved in the production, processing and marketing of Karoo Lamb:

Farmer representatives

• Mr Brand du Toit (Williston)
• Mr Albertus Erasmus (Carnarvon – and acting as company secretary)
• Mr Dirk Sacco (Carnarvon)
• Mr Enoch Ralehoko (Beaufort-West)
• Mr Sybrand Venter (Carnarvon)
• Mr Frans van Wyk (Fraserburg - acting as Chairman)

Meatpackers representatives 

• Mr Ryan Boon (Ryan Boon Speciality Meats, Paarl)

Meat Services and catering trade

• Mr Gordon Wright (Graaff-Reinette)

Karoo Development Foundation representative

• Prof Johann Kirsten (farmer near Carnarvon)

History

The history of the Karoo Lamb GI and the Karoo Lamb Consortium goes as far back as 2006. Academic studies by University of Pretoria, Department of Agriculture (Western Cape), the ARC and French Scientists based at CIRAD developed the scientific basis for the case of Karoo Lamb as an appellation. 

The Karoo Development Foundation (see www.karoofoundation.co.za) was also instrumental in those early years to get recognition for Karoo Lamb as a food product with clear origin attributes. Together with the Departments of Agriculture in the Western Cape and the Northern Cape and the academics from the University of Pretoria it laid the foundation for the first legal protection for Karoo Lamb – a certification scheme that was launched in 2011. In 2014 all the operational aspects of the certification scheme were transferred to a not-for-profit company: “Meat of Origin Karoo” (MOOK). At a members’ meeting in February 2020 the name of the company was changed to the “Karoo Lamb Consortium” to be aligned with the operation and management of typical origin-based food products in Europe where the consortium is the Collective management Organisation for the members producing the product of origin. 

The Karoo Lamb Consortium was over the years responsible for the management of the certification scheme and all the rules, membership administration and auditing aspects related to the certification mark “Certified Karoo Meat of Origin”.

Following the publication by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development of the Regulations for registration of Geographical Indications in February 2023 (Government Notice: R.3023 published on 10 February 2023) it was now possible to find legal protection for Geographical Indications in South Africa.

The Karoo Lamb Consortium then applied to DALRRD to register “Karoo Lamb” as a Geographical Indication in South Africa in June 2023. The evidence assembled through the years of field work, academic studies and the experience of implementing the certification scheme were sufficient to proof the clear link between the Karoo region and lamb meat produced there.  There is no dispute that free range grazing in the Karoo region produces the amazing quality lamb that South Africans associate with the term Karoo Lamb.

After considering the evidence and allowing a period of 30 days for public comment the Karoo Lamb GI was officially gazetted on Friday 27 October 2023 (click here for gazette). Almost two decades after the initial academic work was started. The certification scheme thereby came to an end and the rules of Karoo Lamb now moved from the Meat Regulations to a new set of regulations specifically designed for Geographical Indications. The rules are now a ‘public good’ protected by the South African state and are not the property of any group, company or individual. It is now truly the “Intellectual Property” of the people of the Karoo. The state will now ensure that only lamb produced according to the rules can be named “Karoo Lamb”

Role and mandate of the Consortium

The Karoo Lamb Consortium has, through the fact of its initial work and by bringing the application for registration, automatically obtained the right from the State to use the Karoo Lamb GI. All members of the consortium now have the right to sell Karoo Lamb. 

Regulation 5(a) of the GI regulations (R.3023 of 2023) makes it clear that any producer or group of producers intending to use the Karoo Lamb GI must notify the Executive Officer of Agricultural Products of their intention. They must submit evidence that they comply with the rules and that they will have internal control procedures in place to guarantee the origin and authenticity of their products.

Members of the Karoo Lamb Consortium have already been vetted as complying with the GI rules and therefore does not have the go through a cumbersome application process and pay for the inspections and audits by the government assignee as is required by the regulations. 

The Consortium is therefore seen as the home of the Karoo Lamb GI and where you obtain your unique number – “your Karoo Passport” – which you can offer to any approved abattoir or retailer aiming to market Karoo Lamb.

The Consortium does not get involved in commercial transactions, it does not dictate prices or premiums or volumes. Its only task is to make sure members act according to the rules and to ensure that individual honesty and integrity protects the reputation of the Karoo Lamb product. Individuals can therefore use their own marketing efforts, own trademarks and own packaging as long as the SA-GI logo and the Karoo Lamb logo appears on the packaging. 

The consortium sees itself almost as a “golf club” – we have built and prepared the course, we maintain the course and you come and play as much as you like. You must be a member at a fixed annual membership fee, and you have to pay your green fees when you decide to play. We have nothing to do with your choice of clubs, your handicap, or your experience. As long as you abide by the rules of golf, the rules of the course, wear the prescribed clothing and shoes you are more than welcome to play golf. Or in this case to sell Karoo Lamb. Be our guest and make use of the opportunity to sell ‘real Karoo lamb’.

All you have to do is to submit your application for membership and make use of your right to sell Karoo Lamb.