France Eases Stringent Cheese-Making Regulations Amid Historic Drought

France’s National Institute for Origin and Quality (INAO), the body that oversees the country’s protected designation of origin labels, has also sanctioned temporary modifications to the rules governing other protected agricultural products, citing the impact of this summer’s extreme heat.

The affected products include certain Calvados and cider varieties from Normandy, Crémant d’Alsace sparkling wine, lamb from Poitou-Charentes, and Reine-Claude plums.

Certificates of origin enable producers to command higher prices, yet they are bound by stringent rules that dictate where and how goods must be produced.

The goal is to safeguard the distinctive character of cheeses, wines, and other foods, which are traditionally tied to their specific terroir—a French concept that links geography and heritage.

Because of a 2026 drought, now described by the INAO as “historic,” farmers have been granted temporary exemptions from the usual regulations.

For instance, producers of Abondance cheese in the Alps will be permitted to lower the proportion of pasture grass in their cattle’s diet from 50% to 15%, and they may bring in feed from outside their region as well as incorporate supplements.

Similarly, Comté cheese makers in the Jura mountains will be allowed to substitute the local green maize they typically feed their cows with maize sourced from other areas.

Such derogations are permitted under both French and European law for periods of exceptional weather. Comparable measures were introduced following the arid summer of 2022.

It remains to be seen whether these adjustments will produce any noticeable shift in the flavor or quality of the cheeses, or affect the volume produced and subsequent pricing.

In the long term, the policy raises questions about the sustainability of existing origin labels in France and beyond.

If shifting climate patterns prevent certain products from being made in their traditional regions, the concept of terroir may be pushed to its limits.

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