French cheese rules eased as drought dries pastures

French authorities have temporarily eased feed rules for several protected cheeses after drought and heat left pastures dry, allowing producers of abondance, beaufort and comte to give cows more fodder and grain from elsewhere.

The measures announced on Aug. 26 apply to hard cheeses made from raw milk from cows grazing in the Alps and Jura mountains. Producers normally have to follow strict rules on where animals graze and what they eat to use a Protected Designation of Origin label.

France's Agriculture Ministry statistical service said growth on permanent grasslands as of Aug. 10 was one-third below the 1989-2018 average. The ministry earlier this month described the fodder situation as highly degraded in almost all regions.

The National Institute of Origin and Quality, which administers and enforces rules of origin, said it would also grant temporary relief for several other cheeses, including reblochon, cantal, bleu d'Auvergne and fourme d'Ambert.

The drought affected 95 percent of mainland France in July. Scientists say human-caused climate change has intensified the drought, with extreme heat rather than low rainfall driving the dry conditions.