The drought in France is forcing farmers who produce milk for some of the country's most famous cheeses to feed their cows differently, as scorched pastures make it increasingly difficult to stick to strict rules on protected regional foods, known as AOP. Temporary exemptions on fodder sources will apply to the producers of Abondance, Beaufort and Comté to cope with the grass shortage.
Issued on: 27/08/2026 - 07:16
3 min Reading time
The government announced the changes to producing Abondance, Beaufort and Comté – hard cheeses made from the raw milk of cows grazing in the Alps and Jura mountains – on Wednesday. Abondance farmers will be allowed to reduce the amount of grazed grass their cows eat, while Beaufort producers will be able to rely less on locally produced hay and grass. Comté producers can source some green maize from outside individual farms until the end of October. "This is a welcome and common-sense decision, given the alarming drought situation," said Joel Vindret, head of SIFA, a group of cheesemakers in the Abondance valley, south of Lake Geneva. Growth on permanent grasslands as of 10 August is a third less than the 1989-2018 average, according to the Agriculture Ministry's statistical service. "The aim remains to feed the herds under the best possible conditions despite the sharp decline in grass and hay. This therefore calls for exceptional measures," Vindret told RFI.
