France relaxes strict cheese-making rules after prolonged drought

France has temporarily relaxed strict cheese-making rules following an intense summer drought that significantly reduced the availability of grass for milk-producing herds. Government decrees approved on Wednesday allow manufacturers of popular cheeses such as Abondance, Beaufort, and Comté to deviate from the usual regulations.

This decision applies to several other cheeses, including Cantal, Bleu d'Auvergne, Fourme d'Amber, Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage, Reblochon, and goats cheese Rocamadour. The National Institute for Origin and Quality (INAO), responsible for overseeing France's labels of origin, has also approved temporary rule changes for other protected foods like Calvados, cider from Normandy, Crémant d'Alsace fizzy wine, lamb from Poitou-Charentes, and Reine-Claude plums.

These changes aim to preserve the unique identity of these foods, which are believed to be linked to their specific terroir - a French term that connects locality and tradition. In response to the 2026 drought, which INAO describes as "historic," farmers will be permitted to modify their cheese-making practices for a short period.

For instance, makers of Abondance cheese in the Alps will be allowed to reduce the pastured grass in their animals' diets from 50% to 15%, and they can import forage from outside their geographical zone and use certain supplements. Similarly, Comté cheese producers in the Jura mountains will be able to replace local green maize with maize from other areas.

These derogations are permitted under both French and European law for periods of exceptional weather. Similar measures were implemented after the dry summer of 2022. It remains to be seen if these changes will lead to any noticeable difference in the taste, quality, quantity, or pricing of these cheeses. In the long run, the measures raise questions about the viability of current labels of origin in France and other countries.

If climate change makes it impossible to produce certain foods in their traditional locales, the concept of terroir may face significant challenges.