Surviving globalization
by producing differently:
Charlevoix's lamb label
Presented by Nancy Chabot, local development
counselor, Quebec; and Mario Duchesne, Charlevoix
Agrotourism coordinator, Quebec
Thursday, October 28, 2004
Iowa State University, Ames
Hosted by the Marketing and Food Systems
Initiative of the Leopold Center for Sustainable
Agriculture, the Midwest Agribusiness Trade Research
and Information Center (MATRIC) and the Center for
Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) at Iowa
State University.
Article in Winter 2004 Leopold Letter newsletter
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Once upon a time,
farmers in the Charlevoix region of Quebec raised
lambs in the hilly pastures overlooking the St.
Lawrence River. The meat from the lambs was known
far and wide for its high quality.
Then one day "Charlevoix lamb" from outside the
region began appearing on menus in Montreal and
Paris. The farmers decided to brand their product,
and now "Charlevoix lamb" is protected by the
Canadian government.
This seminar looked at the story of Charlevoix lamb
-- and how the region's farmers are protecting their
rights to this unique product. It is an example of
how farmers have used place, culture, history and
tradition to brand a meat product that brings a
premium in the marketplace because of its high
quality and limited quantity. The Charlevoix lamb
label will be the first North American agricultural
product to obtain legal protection similar to the
geographical indications used to brand products in
the European Union. |
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