Carcass characteristics of suckling lambs protected by the PGI "Lechazo de Castilla y León" European quality label: Effect of breed, sex and carcass weight.

In the Region of "Castilla y León" (Spain), as in other Mediterranean areas, fresh suckling lamb meat is regarded as having a high edible quality. The EU granted this product a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) "Lechazo de Castilla y León" in 1999. In this study, several carcass characteristics of suckling lambs protected by this PGI were determined, while the effects of breed, sex, and carcass weight were studied. Some differences in carcass characteristics within the three PGI authorized breeds have been detected. Neither carcass weight nor conformation measurements were good predictors of the composition of the PGI protected suckling lamb carcasses. The best predictors were fatness and composition of the leg and loin tissues, although dissection of these joints is not feasible on a daily basis. Lastly, some differences, due to sex and weight were identified in conformation, fat percentage, jointing and joint composition. Differences were, however, rather small, due to the lambs' young age and low variation in carcass weight.