Porc de la Sarthe

Porc de la Sarthe is a PGI covering fresh pork marketed as whole carcasses, cut pieces, and offal produced in the Département of Sarthe and adjacent cantons of neighbouring départements. Pigs must be reared in open buildings or in the field, fed principally on cereals, and must reach a minimum slaughter age of 26 weeks.

About this designation

Registered as a PGI on 25 November 1997 under file number PGI-FR-0184 (eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000013200), Porc de la Sarthe covers pork marketed as complete carcasses, cut pieces, and offal. The defined geographical area comprises the Département of Sarthe and the adjacent cantons of the neighbouring départements. Pigs must be reared in open buildings or in the field and fed mainly on cereals. The minimum age for slaughter is 26 weeks, and selection for meat quality is carried out at the abattoir. Traceability is maintained through a system in which breeders and abattoirs are entered in a register, and each pig receives an identification mark in the form of a tattoo applied by the breeder. Carcasses and cut pieces are identified at the abattoir and in the cutting shop, and documented at each stage of the process; material accounting checks supplement this monitoring. The applicant group and control body is L.P.S. (Les Porcs de la Sarthe), 34, rue Paul Ligneul, 72000 Le Mans. Products bear the designation and the name and address of the certifying authority. The link to geographical origin rests on typical regional rearing methods and a reputation attested by historical and bibliographical sources, with local pork production traced to the Middle Ages.

Source: The register document this entry was written from · retrieved August 26, 2026

Distinctive facts

• Registered as a PGI on 25 November 1997 under file number PGI-FR-0184, eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000013200.
• The minimum slaughter age is 26 weeks; selection for meat quality is carried out at the abattoir.
• Each pig is identified by a tattoo applied by the breeder, with documentation maintained at every subsequent stage of the process.
• The geographical area covers the Département of Sarthe and the adjacent cantons of the neighbouring départements.

Tasting notes

Sarthe pork IGP.

HoReCa use

Loire Valley regional preparations.

Packaging

• Same as other pork IGPs