France relaxes strict cheese-making rules after prolonged drought
France has temporarily relaxed strict production regulations for several protected cheeses and food products due to a historic 2026 drought. The waivers allow farmers to source feed from outside designated geographical zones to sustain livestock during the extreme weather.
Why it matters
This decision illustrates the impact of climate change on traditional agricultural practices and the potential for environmental crises to disrupt protected food heritage systems.
Image source, AFP via Getty Images Image caption, Beaufort is among the French cheeses to be covered by temporarily relaxed rules
France has temporarily relaxed rules for making some of its best-known cheeses after the summer drought drastically reduced the amount of grass available to feed milk herds.
Government decrees to grant dispensations to manufacturers of Abondance, Beaufort and Comté cheeses - which come from mountains in eastern France - appeared on Wednesday.
Several other cheeses are expected to receive similar waivers, allowing farmers to feed livestock with grass and hay brought in from outside their strict geographical zone.
These include Cantal, Bleu d'Auvergne, Fourme d'Ambert, Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage, Reblochon and the goats cheese Rocamadour.
The National Institute for Origin and Quality (INAO), which regulates France's labels of origin, has also approved temporary changes to the rules for other protected produce because of the effects of the summer heat.
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