Producers in Orkney have applied for protected food name status for wool and mutton from a rare breed of sheep.

If successful, the products from North Ronaldsay, the northernmost Orkney island, would join the likes of the Arbroath smokie and Stornoway black pudding in receiving protected status.

The sheep are native to the island and are enclosed by a 13-mile long dyke that encircles the island.

The bid was officially launched in Kirkwall, Orkney, on Tuesday.

Rural affairs, food and environment minister Richard Lochhead welcomed the applications from local wool producer A Yarn From North Ronaldsay and the North Ronaldsay Sheep Court, which oversee how the sheep are farmed.

Mr Lochhead said: “Scotland is world-famous for our wonderful produce and people want to know they are buying the real deal.

"Achieving PGI status for both North Ronaldsay wool and mutton will ensure that consumers at home and abroad have a 100% guarantee of the product’s authenticity.”

Dr Kevin Woodbridge, clerk to the North Ronaldsay Sheep Court, said: “It is the unique foreshore environment and the husbandry of the flock by North Ronaldsay islanders over generations that has created this breed.

"This cannot be replicated elsewhere and it is essential for the producers and consumers alike that the genuine product is guaranteed by the protected food name status.”