The judge in chambers of the administrative court of Caen (Calvados) agreed with the dairy group Lactalis, based in Laval (Mayenne), by authorizing it to continue to refer to Normandy for its camemberts “President”, “Le Châtelain” and “Heart of Normandy”. Its factories in Domfront-en-Poiraie (Orne), Clécy (Calvados) and Sainte-Cécile (Manche) had in fact asked to urgently suspend the injunction which had been issued to them by the repression of fraud in Mayenne: they had to “bring into compliance” the labels of their cheeses that do not benefit from the protected designation of origin (PDO) “Camembert de Normandie” within six months.
“A breach of equality between manufacturers”
The injunction provided for a deadline expiring on September 23, 2022, which exposed the Mayenne group to “criminal proceedings”. “The ban (…) prohibits in a general and absolute way any reference to Normandy on non-AOP camemberts”, complained the lawyer for Lactalis. It also led to “a breach of equality between manufacturers of camemberts”.
” Marks (…) President et The Chatelain which incorporate the Normandy crest and the mention made in Normandyand the brand Heart of Normandy – whose graphics evoke the Norman coat of arms – were filed prior to the recognition of the AOP”, simply notes the judge in his order. There is therefore a “serious doubt as to the legality” of this injunction. It was therefore suspended, for these three brands alone, until the re-examination of the case within eighteen months to two years.