How is Organic Lamb Different?
Not only is Lamb delicious but it has impressive health benefits.
It’s considered the ‘MULTIVITAMIN’ of meat. It also has a wide range of options such as conventional, grass fed, and organic which can be overwhelming .
Only a true lamb connoisseur can tell what differentiates grass-fed lamb from organic grass-fed lamb.
Here’s a short and scrumptious guide to demystifying the trendy lamb jargon.
Lambs Are What They Eat
Terms like ‘Organic grass-fed and grass-fed’ are buzzwords in livestock production and agricultural marketing. But what's the difference when they both are pasture-raised and grass-fed?
Put simply, grass-fed and finished lamb comes from flocks that have eaten nothing but grass strands since they have been on pasture, as nature intended. They eat and live on fresh, green growing blades of grass or other suitably fibrous nutritious forage that grows from single rooted plants. These plants have wide-spreading underground roots. It's a simple concept that can have complex impacts on the flavour and tenderness of the lamb you eat. This grass though could have been chemically treated at any time though so ultimately you don’t know what the lambs are eating and therefore what ends up in your digestive system.
So what’s organic grass-fed lamb? This category of lambs grazes on pastures and rangelands that have never been treated with pesticides, herbicides or commercial fertilizers. They eat organic grass and hay, nourishing the land with their manure, and fertilizing the fields; no GMO feed, grains, or hormones are involved. These lambs are as natural as you can find anywhere.
Conventionally raised lambs or grass fed but grain finished lambs, on the other hand, are exposed to chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides etc and feed on carbohydrate-rich diets that include grains, corn, and soy. This grazing forage makes the lambs obese, increasing the chances of issues like ulcers and metabolic disorders.
It’s considered the ‘MULTIVITAMIN’ of meat. It also has a wide range of options such as conventional, grass fed, and organic which can be overwhelming .
Only a true lamb connoisseur can tell what differentiates grass-fed lamb from organic grass-fed lamb.
Here’s a short and scrumptious guide to demystifying the trendy lamb jargon.
Lambs Are What They Eat
Terms like ‘Organic grass-fed and grass-fed’ are buzzwords in livestock production and agricultural marketing. But what's the difference when they both are pasture-raised and grass-fed?
Put simply, grass-fed and finished lamb comes from flocks that have eaten nothing but grass strands since they have been on pasture, as nature intended. They eat and live on fresh, green growing blades of grass or other suitably fibrous nutritious forage that grows from single rooted plants. These plants have wide-spreading underground roots. It's a simple concept that can have complex impacts on the flavour and tenderness of the lamb you eat. This grass though could have been chemically treated at any time though so ultimately you don’t know what the lambs are eating and therefore what ends up in your digestive system.
So what’s organic grass-fed lamb? This category of lambs grazes on pastures and rangelands that have never been treated with pesticides, herbicides or commercial fertilizers. They eat organic grass and hay, nourishing the land with their manure, and fertilizing the fields; no GMO feed, grains, or hormones are involved. These lambs are as natural as you can find anywhere.
Conventionally raised lambs or grass fed but grain finished lambs, on the other hand, are exposed to chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides etc and feed on carbohydrate-rich diets that include grains, corn, and soy. This grazing forage makes the lambs obese, increasing the chances of issues like ulcers and metabolic disorders.
Exposure to Antibiotics, Hormones, And Chemicals
Both grass-fed and organic grass-fed lambs spend their lives on pasture, where they get plenty of exercise, good food, and sunlight. Lambs raised this way are healthier and tastier than mass-produced lambs that are fattened on grain and burdened by factory farming methods.
Moreover, they are raised humanely and sustainably with no added hormones, antibiotics, or any other synthetic materials. This ensures that lambs have higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), live longer, have higher fertility rates, and are leaner than their conventional counterparts. Grass-fed lamb is also lower in fat overall; 28 per cent less fat than conventional lamb.
What differs organic grass-fed from grass-fed is that the former one feeds on certified organic green pastures—clean of all GMOs, chemicals, antibiotics, herbicides, or pesticides. When lambs eat forage and fertilize, they alleviate the need for ever having to artificially fertilize the pastures.
The grass-fed lamb has grass as their forage but the grass may not be organically certified. There could be traces of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. When it comes to conventional lambs, they are regularly fed on forage treated with chemicals and injected with artificial antibiotics, supplements, and steroids to unnaturally accelerate their growth in a short period.
Australian Organic Certification
To get nothing but the best of organic grass-fed lamb, you must ensure the Australian Certified Organic Standard for Livestock Production which outlines the requirements for your flocks to qualify as organic and for you to receive certification. These products meet the rigid government standards that specify how, where and when organic food can be grown, harvested and processed.
It’s a commitment to the environment and the health and wellbeing of those who eat foods that carry the mark of this certification. With lambs bearing this certification you’ll always get nothing but the best lamb, just as nature intended.
The transition from conventional to organic livestock involves challenges. But with the right attitude and preparation, you can make a good start.
Both grass-fed and organic grass-fed lambs spend their lives on pasture, where they get plenty of exercise, good food, and sunlight. Lambs raised this way are healthier and tastier than mass-produced lambs that are fattened on grain and burdened by factory farming methods.
Moreover, they are raised humanely and sustainably with no added hormones, antibiotics, or any other synthetic materials. This ensures that lambs have higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), live longer, have higher fertility rates, and are leaner than their conventional counterparts. Grass-fed lamb is also lower in fat overall; 28 per cent less fat than conventional lamb.
What differs organic grass-fed from grass-fed is that the former one feeds on certified organic green pastures—clean of all GMOs, chemicals, antibiotics, herbicides, or pesticides. When lambs eat forage and fertilize, they alleviate the need for ever having to artificially fertilize the pastures.
The grass-fed lamb has grass as their forage but the grass may not be organically certified. There could be traces of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. When it comes to conventional lambs, they are regularly fed on forage treated with chemicals and injected with artificial antibiotics, supplements, and steroids to unnaturally accelerate their growth in a short period.
Australian Organic Certification
To get nothing but the best of organic grass-fed lamb, you must ensure the Australian Certified Organic Standard for Livestock Production which outlines the requirements for your flocks to qualify as organic and for you to receive certification. These products meet the rigid government standards that specify how, where and when organic food can be grown, harvested and processed.
It’s a commitment to the environment and the health and wellbeing of those who eat foods that carry the mark of this certification. With lambs bearing this certification you’ll always get nothing but the best lamb, just as nature intended.
The transition from conventional to organic livestock involves challenges. But with the right attitude and preparation, you can make a good start.
Premium Quality Lamb
While organic lambs are more expensive compared to conventional and grass-fed lambs, the customers who pay a premium for organic lamb meat can trust they are getting a quality product.
And quality is the heart and soul of everything we do. It’s our raison-d’etre as the French say!