French AOP Cheese Salers Faces Climate-Driven Production Collapse

Historic heatwaves are inflicting severe thermal stress on French dairy cattle that traditionally graze outdoors during summer. Prolonged droughts have desiccated pastures across the country, stripping them of greenness and vitality — compelling farmers to purchase supplementary feed amid strict cheese-making regulations.

Salers cheese at breaking point

Scientists and cheesemakers warn that several iconic French artisanal cheeses now face existential threat from climate change. Laurent Laur, a dairy farmer and cheesemaker for 35 years, said: “In the past, we faced pasture shortages once every 15 to 20 years. Now it happens roughly every two years — and it is worsening.”

This summer, numerous producers of Salers — a semi-hard cheese made from raw cow’s milk — suspended production. Of France’s 80 Salers producers, more than three-quarters ceased operations following successive heatwaves and droughts.

Salers holds an Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AOP) designation — one of 47 French cheeses with this protected geographical indication. It is produced primarily in the Cantal department of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, where cows graze at altitudes between approximately 800 and 1,500 meters on herb-rich pastures. Its distinctive flavor profile — ranging from walnut and hazelnut to grassy, fermented cream, peppery spice, and smoked or roasted onion — stems from local terroir: the interplay of climate, soil, and topography.

Strict rules leave little room for adaptation

Salers is among the most climate-vulnerable AOP cheeses due to its rigid production rules. It must be made between 15 April and 15 November exclusively from milk of cows grazing on pasture and fed predominantly on grass. Supplementary feed may not exceed 25% of dry matter intake and must consist only of locally sourced hay, wheat, barley, oats, or maize.

Drought forced Laur to stop Salers production on 8 July and shift to Cantal — a visually similar semi-hard cow’s milk cheese governed by more flexible rules. Cantal may be produced year-round, allows higher proportions of grain, hay, and maize in cattle diets, and requires only 120 days of annual pasture grazing.

Last month, the National Institute of Origin and Quality (INAO) introduced temporary regulatory adjustments for some cheese producers in response to France’s “historic drought” this summer. Producers of Beaufort, Comté, and Abondance — among others — received exemptions permitting increased supplementary feeding to offset grass shortages or allowing feed imports from outside their designated AOP zones. These exemptions are expected to extend to additional cheeses.

Salers producers did not apply for temporary relief. Laur, who chairs the joint professional committee for Cantal cheeses, stated that a product containing less than 50% grass grown on pasture “does not deserve to bear the name Salers.”

Long-term rule changes remain stalled

For years, some AOP cheese producers have sought permanent regulatory easing to counter climate impacts — including adjustments to grazing periods, higher allowances for hay and supplementary feed, or permission to source feed beyond AOP boundaries. Yet revising such rules could take years.

A study published last year by the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE) examined how feed composition affects cheese quality. Researchers fed four groups of cows different diets over four months to simulate varying drought conditions, then used their milk to produce Cantal cheese and assessed it both in laboratory analysis and by consumer panels.

Results showed cheese made from milk of cows fed predominantly on pasture grass was richer in omega-3 fatty acids and superior in taste, aroma, flavor, and texture. The institute reported: “When cows feed on pasture grass, the cheese is softer, more yellow, and more aromatic; when cows eat little or no grass, the cheese becomes whiter, firmer, and less distinct in flavor.”

Production decline and mounting financial strain

Laur estimates heat-stressed cows produce 10% less milk and lose about one month of outdoor grazing annually due to recurring, extended droughts. As a result, Salers production has declined from around 1,500 tonnes per year in the early 2010s to roughly 1,000 tonnes today.

Grass shortages have also forced farmers to draw down winter hay reserves. Laur said he has already spent approximately €30,000 ($35,000) on supplementary feed this summer.

“Some producers are losing enthusiasm because things are becoming increasingly complicated,” he said. “We’re losing our market share, and it’s hard to keep going — so the situation is difficult.”

Another producer, Stéphanie Gardis, abandoned Salers production mid-summer due to drought and switched to the less profitable Cantal. She lost €20,000 ($23,300) in revenue last year under similar conditions. She noted producers receive about €3 less per kilogram for Cantal than for Salers, despite equal labor input. This season’s shutdown occurred earlier than usual, and she expects it to be her worst financial year since launching her cheesemaking business nine years ago.

Other AOP cheeses under pressure

Producers of Abondance — a semi-hard cheese made in the Haute-Savoie region of southeastern France — are struggling to meet mandatory grazing requirements. Salers and Cantal are not the only AOP cheeses affected by repeated heat and drought. Producers of other AOP cheeses, including Roquefort and Abondance, have reported difficulties fulfilling grazing obligations.

Each summer, Émilie Jacquot and her husband move their 50 cows to mountains near Annecy at around 1,500 meters altitude to make organic Abondance cheese, living for three months in the family’s mountain hut. She said this year was the first in which they did not need to light the wood stove for heating.

In the valley, Jacquot said climate change has also brought extreme daily temperature swings — sometimes ranging from −5°C to 25°C within a single day.

How weather shapes cheese beyond heat and drought

Cheese expert Christian Janier, a fourth-generation cheesemonger in Lyon and one of only seven French cheesemongers awarded the title Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF), noted that cheese quality varies by season — much like wine — and is influenced by factors beyond heat and drought.

Heavy rainfall, now more frequent with climate change, can oversaturate grass, yielding milk lower in protein. Cheeses made from such milk mature faster and may develop sharp, undesirable ammonia-like aromas and flavors.

Janier, who credits industrial-scale production for having “standardized” French cheeses over time, stressed that the AOP label remains the most reliable indicator of high-quality cheese. “Once you see the AOP stamp on a cheese, you know it has passed rigorous tests for texture, aroma, and flavor,” he said.