Climate change

France Eases Cheese Rules After Historic Drought

Is this a drought lifesaver for farmers or a threat to authentic French flavors?

AUG 27·Updated AUG 28

France Eases Cheese Rules After Historic Drought

Story

Above: Cheeses with a protected designation of origin are displayed on a supermarket shelf in Paris, France on Aug. 26. Image credit: Rachel Sommer/picture alliance/Getty Images

The Facts

France announced temporary exemptions to strict production rules for abondance, beaufort and comté on Wednesday, allowing producers to supplement livestock diets with fodder and grain sourced from outside designated areas after drought affected 95% of mainland France in July.
The Telegraph
The Guardian
The National Institute of Origin and Quality said it would also grant temporary relief for reblochon, cantal, bleu d'Auvergne and fourme d'Ambert producers, describing the drought as "historic."
EuroNews
INKL
Grass growth on France's permanent pastures as of Aug. 10 was one-third below the 1989-2018 average, with the agriculture ministry's statistical service describing the fodder situation as "highly degraded" in nearly all regions.
EuroNews
The Telegraph
About 70% of cheese producers paused production during the summer due to the drought, while Roquefort producers also requested a temporary easing of sheep grazing requirements under their protected designation.
The Guardian
Barrons
Comté, France's top-selling protection-designated cheese with more than 62,000 tons produced annually, received a narrower exemption than abondance or beaufort, permitting farms to source some green maize from outside individual holdings through the end of October.
RFI
The Telegraph
Beyond dairy, France's potato farmers expected a 23% drop in this year's crop following five successive heatwaves, while winegrowers reported some of the earliest harvests on record and scientists attributed the intensified drought to human-caused climate change.
RFI
Barrons

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The Spin

Climate-concerned narrative

Relaxing cheese rules saves French farmers hit by dried-out pastures from a destructive drought. Climate stress continues to hammer multiple aspects of French society.

The Local

AFP on X

Climate-skeptic narrative

There is a flood of alarmist stories about climate stress and disasters, including incidents that impact France. However, the reality is more nuanced — fire emissions, for example, are at their lowest recorded level in the satellite era.

Bjorn Lomborg on X