Lamb and mutton
The environmental impact from the production of lamb and mutton differs depending on the type of product and how and where the production takes place. Procuring organizations that require sustainability aspects in their procurement of lamb or mutton can contribute to a more environmentally and climatically sustainable production with good animal welfare. The product area includes criteria that, among other things, contribute to the Swedish environmental goals of a non-toxic environment, a rich plant and animal life, a rich agricultural landscape and limited climate impact as well as the global sustainability goals in agenda 2030; among others goal 2 no hunger, goal 3 health and well-being, goal 12 sustainable consumption and production, goal 13 fight climate change and goal 15 ecosystems and biodiversity.
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| EU-organic product | Core | Technical specification | ||
Criterion information Organic production promotes sustainable agriculture. Organic farming should respect nature's ecosystems and different natural cycles, and strive to maintain and improve the quality of soil, water, plant health and the health of animals. The balance between all elements is to be maintained and preferably improved. Criterion text Food products must be produced in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council on organic production and labelling of organic products. | ||||
| Organic product - supplementary lamb and mutton | Advanced | Technical specification | ||
Criterion information In organic production feed must be largely produced on the farm itself, be free from GMOs and must be grown without the use of unnatural chemical pesticides and mineral fertilisers. Contracting authorities that set the sustainability requirement at the advanced level for organic product also contribute to the implementation of extra measures for improving animal welfare and environmental sustainability, such as longer grazing period. Criterion text Products of lamb and mutton must be produced in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliment and of the Council on organic production and labelling of organic products, as well as the following requirements:
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| Information about the origin of the raw material - meat | Core | Technical specification | ||
Criterion information Transparency and traceability in the food chain are important in order to be able to check sustainability parameters in the supply chain. By requiring that information about the origin of the raw-material is to be available and controllable, the procuring organization assures that traceability in the food chain is possible. Criterion text For products made from meat, information must be provided about the country(ies) of origin of the raw material(s), and this must be available for examination when a tender is submitted. This information must also be made available or provided on request throughout the term of the contract, including for any substitute items. Information about the commodity's country(ies) of origin shall include:
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| Stunning before slaughter – meat | Core | Technical specification | ||
Criterion information Slaughter methods that involve animals being stunned before slaughter are very important from an animal-welfare perspective. The basic rule within the EU is that animals shall be stunned before slaughter, but member states may grant exceptions for religious or cultural reasons. Most member states grant such exceptions, but Sweden, Norway, Denmark and others do not. Criterion text Meat must be sourced from animals that have been fully stunned and are completely unconscious when they are bled. Consciousness may not return during the period between when the animal has been stunned and it has been confirmed dead, regardless of stunning method. | ||||
| Transport of animals to slaughter | Core | Technical specification | ||
Criterion information Animals that are transported to slaughter can be subjected to varying levels of physical and mental stress. When animals are transported over long distances, their stress can increase; it is therefore important to uphold animal welfare and keep journey times to a minimum. Criterion text Meat must be sourced from animals that have been transported for no longer than eight hours to slaughter. The transport time is how long it takes for a shipment to arrive from the point of departure to its destination, including loading and unloading. If the transport time to the nearest slaughterhouse exceeds eight hours, the transport time may on isolated occasions be extended by a maximum of three hours if the vehicle meets at least the following conditions for long-distance transportation:
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| Feeding during lairage | Advanced | Technical specification | ||
Criterion information Animals that are not killed immediately upon arrival at the slaughterhouse are put in lairage and may need to spend the night at the slaughterhouse. It is then important that the animals are fed so that their basic needs are met. Criterion text Meat shall be sourced from animals that are fed if the total time for transport to slaughter and lairage exceeds twelve hours. The feed shall be appropriate for the species and supplied in sufficient quantities. Ruminants shall be provided with roughage. | ||||
| Surgical procedures under anaesthesia – meat and milk from lamb, sheep and goat | Core | Technical specification | ||
Criterion information Castration of male lambs can be done to prevent unwanted mating when the lambs have reached sexual maturity, amongst other things. Goats may be dehorned to prevent them from harming each other. Without anaesthesia, such surgical procedures cause both pain and stress for the animals, regardless of their age. Contracting organisations can contribute to ensuring that surgical procedures are carried out with less pain and stress for the animals by requiring the use of anaesthesia. Criterion text Meat and milk products must be derived from animals that have been anaesthetised during any and all surgical procedures, including castration and dehorning. Dehorning by caustic paste, and castration by rubber ring are not permitted. | ||||
| Responsible use of antibiotics - meat and milk | Core | Technical specification | ||
Criterion information High and improper use of antibiotics in animal husbandry is associated with an increased prevalence of resistant bacteria.1 Increased antibiotics resistance constitutes a public health threat worldwide, and is an important sustainability challenge.2 Contracting authorities that set criteria regarding the responsible use of antibiotics can contribute to antibiotics being used only when necessary for the sake of an animal's health. Criterion text Animal food products must be derived from animal production where antibiotics are not used for the purpose of promoting growth or routinely as a preventative measure. Antibiotics may be given only to sick animals or as prescribed by a veterinarian to animals in groups in which disease has broken out, after a diagnosis of clinical disease in part of the group has been established. The total number of medical treatments must be documented along with the reasons for treatment and medical preparations used. 3rd and 4th generation cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones may be used only when microbiological examination and antimicrobial susceptibility tests show that there are no effective alternatives.
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| Grazing and outdoor access - meat and milk from lamb, sheep and goat | Core | Technical specification | ||
Criterion information Allowing animals to graze and spend time outside is positive for their health and gives the animals good opportunities to behave naturally. Well-managed grazing is also a resource-efficient and environmentally sustainable way of raising animals because it reduces the need for other feed. Animals can graze in grasslands, fields, or land that cannot be used for producing other types of food. Contracting authorities that set requirements for grassland farming and/or time spent in the open air also contribute to grazing that can have positive effects on biological diversity. Criterion text Meat and milk products must be derived from animals that have been able to graze or otherwise have access to the outdoors for a continuous period of at least two months per year during the grazing season as defined in the country of production. | ||||
| More sustainably produced soy in animal feed | Core | Technical specification | ||
Criterion information The cultivation of soy can entail large environmental risks due to the high use of pesticides, soil erosion, along with the risk for land use change and deforestation in species-rich forest and grassland areas. Contracting organisations can specify requirements that improve the prerequisites for a transition to a more sustainable production of soy. Criterion text Animal-based foods shall come from animals where the soy1, if included in the feed, is produced in such a way that, at a minimum, it covers the following:
It is adequate that the documentation of the traceability of the soy can be shown through a segregated supply chain (Identity Preserved or Segregated), or through the principle of mass balance, or through the principle for credits (Credits/Book and Claim). | ||||
| More sustainably produced palm oil in animal feed | Spearhead | Technical specification | ||
Criterion information The large-scale production of palm oil can entail serious risks for both people and the environment, such as deforestation and decreased biodiversity. The criterium contributes to improving the conditions for a transition to a more sustainable cultivation of oil palm. Criterion text Animal-based foods shall be produced from animals where products from oil palm1, if it forms part of the feed, is produced in such a way that, at a minimum, it covers the following:
It is adequate that the documentation of the traceability for products from oil palms in the animal feed can be shown through a segregated supply chain (Identity Preserved or Segregated), or through the principle of Mass Balance, or through the principle for credits (Credits/Book and Claim). | ||||
| Feed without GMO-content | Spearhead | Technical specification | ||
Criterion information Purchasing organisations that wish to contribute to restriction of the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in agriculture can require animals to be fed feed that does not contain GMOs. Criterion text Products of animal origin shall come from animals that have not eaten feed consisting of, containing or produced from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) during the rearing period. Traces of permitted GMOs1 may only be present in a proportion not exceeding 0.9 per cent for each individual raw material, provided that the presence is unintentional or technically unavoidable. | ||||
| Meat from semi-natural pastures - Grazing on semi-natural pastures - Lamb and mutton | Spearhead | Technical specification | ||
Criterion information The management of semi-natural pastures is important to rich biological diversity and contributes, amongst other things, to the A Varied Agricultural Landscape and A Rich Diversity of Plant and Animal Life environmental objectives. Contracting authorities that procure meat from semi-natural pastures contribute to the continued preservation of those pasture grounds, as well as an increased biological diversity. Criterion text Lamb and mutton must be derived from animals that have had outdoor access and access to pasture troughout the whole day during the grazing season. For at least half of the grazing period, animals must graze on semi-natural pastures—that is, natural grasslands that have not been fertilised (apart from the natural dung of the grazing animals), ploughed, watered or worked with machines for at least 20 years. | ||||
The environmental impact from the production of lamb and mutton differs depending on the type of product and how and where the production takes place. Procuring organizations that require sustainability aspects in their procurement of lamb or mutton can contribute to a more environmentally and climatically sustainable production with good animal welfare. The product area includes criteria that, among other things, contribute to the Swedish environmental goals of a non-toxic environment, a rich plant and animal life, a rich agricultural landscape and limited climate impact as well as the global sustainability goals in agenda 2030; among others goal 2 no hunger, goal 3 health and well-being, goal 12 sustainable consumption and production, goal 13 fight climate change and goal 15 ecosystems and biodiversity.
The market balance shows that the production of mutton has decreased by 4.5 percent in the last ten years, while imports have increased by 8.2 percent. It also means a reduced Swedish market share of 8.1 percent, which landed at 28.3 percent in 2022. At the same time, the total per capita consumption of sheep meat has decreased by 4.9 percent or just under one hecto1. The organic share of sheep and lamb in Sweden in 2022 is about 20% according to the Swedish Board of Agriculture 2.
The climate impact from animal food production comes from animal feed digestion (for ruminants such as cattle, sheep and goats), feed production, manure and the conversion of natural land into agricultural land for grazing and forage cultivation3. Lambs and sheep are ruminants and release methane when digesting feed, which has a high impact on the climate. The emissions of greenhouse gases from lamb production are on average about 21 kg of carbon dioxide equivalents per kilogram of boneless meat, but vary depending on, for example, production method and origin4.
The different lamb production systems are characterized by the times of the year when the lambs are slaughtered. Most common in Sweden is autumn lamb production, which means that the ewes lamb in the spring and the lambs are slaughtered in the autumn after the grazing season has ended, but lambs can be born and slaughtered at any time of the year5. Ruminants that graze keep landscapes open and contribute to several ecosystem services. Well-adapted grazing is important for the conservation and management of biological diversity6. Paddocks, which are part of a crop rotation on arable land, are an important source of feed for ruminant animals and contribute positively to the farming system through, for example, a reduced need for pesticides and building up the soil's fertility7. Sheep are good for grazing on sensitive land because they do not trample the grass and can therefore keep the landscape open both in the countryside and in lands close to the city. Concentrated feed is also used in the production of lamb and mutton, and how the concentrate is produced is an important aspect of sustainability. When soy and by-products of oil palm are used as feed, these raw materials can be produced in a more sustainable way, for example by avoiding production in protected areas8.
Natural grazing animals graze on land that is never plowed or harvested. Natural pastures are land that has been continuously used for grazing for a long time and is part of the biological cultural heritage. Grazing on natural pasture is particularly important for the conservation and management of biological diversity, at both species and landscape level9. Natural grazing animals are needed to maintain natural pastures and thus work towards achieving the environmental goals of biodiversity and a rich agricultural landscape10. However, there is no official definition of natural pastures. The definition of natural pastures used in the sustainability criteria is the same as that used by the association Naturbete Sverige and the Sigill quality system that certifies natural pastured meat: Natural pastures are natural grasslands that are grazed but neither ploughed, fertilized (except for the natural excrement of grazing animals), irrigated or processed mechanically. Natural pastures can be meadows, coastal meadows, heather heaths, alvar lands, forest pastures and grasslands that have not been plowed or fertilized for at least 20 years. Currently, there are only a few farms that produce certified natural pasture meat from lamb in Sweden11.
Globally widespread use of antibiotics for both humans and animals has increased the occurrence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in our environment12. Sweden, together with Norway and Iceland, has the lowest use of antibiotics for farm animals in Europe13. Preventive measures for good animal health and animal welfare contribute to keeping the use of antibiotics low. Animal welfare can be defined in a number of ways. EU animal welfare legislation which emphasizes that consideration must be given to animals as sentient beings is based on five freedoms that animals should enjoy: freedom from hunger and thirst, from discomfort, from pain, injury and disease, freedom to behave naturally and freedom from fear and stress14. Taking the animals into account as sentient beings means, among other things, that the animals' pain must be minimized, for example through effective anesthesia during stressful and painful moments such as operative interventions and before slaughter. Outdoors also gives the animals increased opportunity to perform behaviors that are important for their well-being.
3 Livsmedelsverket, rapport 17, 2013
5 Lantbrukarnas riksförbund, 2016
8 The Consumer Goods Forum, 2016
9 Bengtsson et al., 2003. Gustavsson et al., 2007.
10 Jordbruksverket-miljömålsrådet, 2019
11 Sigill kvalitetssystem AB, 2023
12 World Health Organization, 2023
13 European Medicines Agency, 2019
14 European Convention for the Protection of Animals kept for Farming Purposes, 1976
Fresh and frozen lamb and mutton, including processed meat and composite products with a lamb or mutton content of at least 10 percent. Examples of products that may be included in the criteria:
- Cuts of meat such as steak, saddle, chop, leg, tenderloin, shank etc. of lamb or mutton.
- • Stew meat from lamb or mutton
- • Minced lamb or mutton
- • Meatballs and sausages made from lamb or mutton
- • Processed lamb or mutton meat
- • Kebab slices from lamb or mutton
Use the criterion or criteria which best suits your organization’s needs, goals and capacity to monitor compliance. Indicate in the document specifically which products are to fulfil the requirement and be sure to inform yourself of market access. It is also important to state how the tenderer should respond to the criteria and what verification (means of evidence) is to be provided.