France Relaxes Strict Cheese-Making Rules After Prolonged Drought
BBC News reports that France has temporarily adjusted rules for cheese production due to a severe drought that significantly reduced grazing lands for milk herds.
Relaxed Rules for Famous French Cheeses
The government has granted dispensations for manufacturers of Abondance, Beaufort, and Comté cheeses, which are produced in mountainous regions of eastern France. These changes allow farmers to supplement their herds’ diets with grass and hay from outside their designated zones.
Other cheeses, such as Cantal, Bleu d’Auvergne, Fourme d’Ambert, Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage, Reblochon, and Rocamadour, are also expected to receive similar waivers.
Terroir and Climate Change
The National Institute for Origin and Quality (INAO) regulates France’s labels of origin, ensuring unique identities for cheeses, wines, and other products linked to their specific terroir (locality and tradition). Due to the 2026 drought, which the INAO describes as "historic," farmers are permitted to temporarily bend these rules.
For example, Abondance cheese makers can reduce their herd’s pastured grass intake from 50% to 15%, import forage from outside their zone, and use some supplements. Comté cheese makers in the Jura mountains can replace local green maize with maize from other regions.
Implications for Terroir and Climate
These derogations, allowed by both French and European law during periods of exceptional weather, raise questions about the longevity of existing labels of origin. With climate change potentially rendering certain foodstuffs unsustainable in their traditional locales, the concept of terroir may need to be reevaluated.
