Oritain partner with HCC to deliver the ultimate in farm-to-fork traceability for PGI Welsh Lamb.

World first for Welsh Lamb through origin fingerprint technology.

Oritain, the global company specialising in supply chain traceability, announces it has partnered with HCC to verify the origin of Welsh Lamb and further validate its PGI status.

Press Release: 23 July 2018

Thanks to advanced technology, millions of consumers can rest assured that if it’s Welsh Lamb they want, it’s Welsh Lamb they’ll get.

Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) today (Monday, 23 July) launches a landmark new partnership with world leading technology company Oritain that will deliver the ultimate in farm to fork traceability for PGI Welsh Lamb.

Under the PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) scheme, lamb must have been born and reared in Wales and slaughtered and processed in an HCC-approved facility if it is to carry the respected Welsh Lamb label. Oritain’s new testing method uses forensic level science to underpin this traceability, which is the first initiative of its kind for a PGI product.

HCC’s Chief Executive Gwyn Howells said, “Under this new partnership, lamb can be tested at any point in the supply chain and can be scientifically verified that it came from an animal reared in Wales.

“Of course, Welsh Lamb already has an excellent reputation for traceability among consumers thanks to the PGI scheme, administered in conjunction with NSF Certification. But the new agreement with Oritain takes this to the highest level, ensuring that our premium brand has the ultimate in robust product traceability.”

Oritain’s technology analyses trace elements and isotopes, which animals absorb from their natural environment and the grass and water that they consume, to establish a distinctive Welsh ‘fingerprint of origin’. Its techniques are highly-respected in a variety of industries, including food, textiles and pharmaceuticals.

“Consumers are increasingly demanding that the food they buy can be traced back to its origin,” said Mr. Howells. “By underpinning our PGI scheme with Oritain’s scientific techniques, people buying Welsh Lamb at home and abroad can be absolutely confident that it has been reared in Wales – with all that entails in terms of the quality of the meat and the high animal welfare and environmental standards of our farmers.”