France relaxes strict cheese-making rules after prolonged drought

The National Institute for Origin and Quality (INAO), the body that oversees France’s protected‑label system, has approved temporary adjustments to the regulations for several designated products in response to the effects of summer heat. The changes apply to Calvados and cider from Normandy, Crémant d’Al­sace sparkling wine, lamb from Poitou‑Charentes and Reine‑Claude plums. Certificates of origin enable farmers to sell these items at a premium, but they are normally tied to strict rules about where and how the goods are produced. The goal of those rules is to protect the distinctive character of cheeses, wines and other foods that is supposedly linked to their specific terroir—a French concept that ties a product’s quality to its locality and tradition. Because of a 2026 drought that the INAO now calls “historic,” producers are being permitted to deviate from the usual requirements for a limited time. In the Alps, makers of Abondance cheese may reduce the proportion of pasture grass in their cattle’s feed from 50% to 15%, import forage from outside their usual zone and use any supplementary feed they choose. In the Jura mountains, Comté cheese producers are allowed to replace the local green maize they normally feed their cows with maize sourced from elsewhere. Such derogations are permitted under French and European legislation for periods of exceptional weather; comparable measures were introduced after the dry summer of 2022. Observers will watch to see whether the adjustments produce any noticeable shift in the flavor or quality of the cheeses, or affect output levels and pricing. In the longer term, the exemptions raise doubts about the continued viability of the current origin‑label framework in France and abroad. If shifting climate patterns make it impossible to keep certain foods within their traditional areas, the notion of terroir could be stretched to its breaking point.