They smell good of the terroir and traditions, but because of the drought, compliance with the specifications of food labels is complicated and requests for exemptions are flourishing. Out of 101 agri-food products with PDO (protected designation of origin) since July, four of them have already obtained derogations on at least one point of the specifications that they are required to fulfill to keep their precious designation: two wines from the Bordeaux region, Espelette pepper and Saint-Nectaire cheese, according to the National Institute of Origin and Quality (Inao), the institute in charge of these devices.
For example: the appellation area of Auvergnat cheese is the smallest in Europe, with only 1,800 square km, straddling the departments of Cantal and Puy-de-Dôme, but like everywhere in France, the the grass has turned yellow and the cows, normally on pasture, have to be fed with winter rations, mainly dry maize-based fodder. But to produce Saint-Nectaire under AOP, the cows would have to be grass-fed for at least 150 days, which is impossible this year. The derogation obtained makes it possible to reduce the number of days to 90 and not to lose the appellation, which makes it possible to better promote the production and therefore to sell it at a higher price.
“This derogation is made by force of circumstances and it is better to have the milk of a well-fed cow with stocks, than a malnourished cow and emaciated by the lack of grass”, notes Gilles Châtelain, sixty Montbéliard cows and so many years on the clock, whose milk is used to produce Tomme de Savoie, Emmental or even raclette de Savoie.
Seven files under evaluation
To obtain a temporary modification to a specification, only two reasons are possible: health or climate. “Once the supporting documents have been gathered, a committee examines them and ensures that the requested modification will not impact the quality of the product and is minor”, explains Carole Ly, acting director of the Inao.
“For example on Espelette pepper, the specifications prohibit irrigation from July 15 to September 16 to create water stress, but because of the drought, without water supply, nothing would have grown”: thus, the producers were able to bring water to the Espelette pepper to compensate for the cumulative effects of the drought and the heat wave, without altering the quality, assures the Inao. Moreover, the Espelette pepper of the season will continue to be produced, processed and packaged in the Basque Country, harvested by hand and dried two weeks before being put in the oven, as is local tradition.
All these requests for exemptions “in connection with the drought began to arrive in July, seven files are being assessed and we know that others will arrive”, explains Carole Ly.
Weakened livestock
The lamb breeders of Sisteron, who have both the Label Rouge and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) appellation, realized that the lambs were growing more slowly because of the drought, which greatly reduced the production of grass which they feed, but their specifications require each lamb to weigh at least 13 kg at 150 days.
Other breeders have made the radical choice to stop production, like Salers, a Cantal cheese for which it is expected that “75% of the animal feed will come from the production area”, specifies Carole Ly, and that the cows be put out to grass from April 15 to November 15. But the producers, who recently asked for an exemption to switch to 50% grass, all decided to stop production of Salers in mid-August “and have since switched to AOP Cantal farmer, less well valued (than the AOP Salers), but whose specifications make it possible to provide complementary foods,” explains Joël Piganiol, president of the FDSEA du Cantal. “The requests only concern breeding… Emmental, Tomme de Savoie, raclette, a goat, Cantal, Salers… And we know that there will be others,” says Carole Ly.
“Forage is extremely expensive, those who apply for derogation, it is because they no longer have a choice”, underlines Hubert Dubien, president of the National Council of Dairy Designations of Origin (CNAOL), recalling that ” the real concern is the number of breeders who are decreasing”.