Strict production rules for some of France’s most famous cheeses are set to be relaxed after drought and heatwaves in July affected 95% of mainland France and dried out pastures.
The changes apply to three cheeses, including Comté, a hard cheese made from raw cow’s milk in the Jura Mountains. It is France’s best-selling traditional cheese, with more than 62,000 tonnes produced last year.
The other two are Beaufort and Abondance. All three have protected designation of origin (PDO) status, known in France as appellation d’origine protégée, which guarantees their authenticity and protects traditional production methods. PDO rules also require animals to be fed mainly on vegetation from the local area.
PDO rules require animals to be fed mainly on vegetation from the local area.
Authorities have therefore announced that producers will temporarily be allowed to supplement their animals’ diets with larger amounts of feed and grain from other regions.
The National Institute of Origin and Quality (INAO), the state body that oversees the rules for producing traditional foods, told Agence France-Presse that it also plans to approve temporary exemptions for producers of several other cheeses, including Reblochon, Cantal, Bleu d’Auvergne and Fourme d’Ambert.
Source: The Guardian
