France to ease strict rules on iconic cheeses as heat dries pastures
Summary
France is temporarily easing strict rules for making several traditional cheeses because drought and extreme heat have dried up pastures. Cheesemakers can now feed their cows with more imported fodder and grain than usual to cope with the poor grass growth.Key Facts
- France is relaxing production rules for cheeses like abondance, beaufort, and comté due to drought and heat.
- Normally, cows must graze on local grass to meet strict rules for the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) label.
- The summer drought affected 95% of mainland France, causing pastures to dry up significantly.
- Producers can now use more imported fodder and grain to feed cows temporarily.
- Other cheeses such as reblochon, cantal, bleu d'Auvergne, and fourme d'Ambert also get temporary rule exceptions.
- Grass growth is about one-third less than the average recorded from 1989 to 2018.
- The drought and heatwave are linked to climate change, which made conditions more extreme.
- France’s agricultural sector is seeing problems like smaller corn crops and early wine harvests due to the weather.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
