France has temporarily loosened protected-origin rules for several renowned cheeses after an historic 2026 drought severely reduced pasture grass for dairy herds. The measure matters because these labels normally require tightly defined local feeding and production methods intended to preserve each product’s distinctive regional identity.

Cheesemakers of Abondance, Beaufort and Comté have received official dispensations, with similar waivers expected for cheeses including Reblochon, Cantal and Rocamadour. Abondance producers may cut pasture grass in animals’ diets from 50% to 15% and import forage, while Comté makers may use maize from outside the Jura; the changes, permitted under French and EU law during exceptional weather, follow similar action in 2022.