France allows temporary changes to protected food label rules during historic drought

France’s National Institute of Origin and Quality, known as INAO, said Monday that it is granting temporary changes to some product specifications for protected food and agricultural labels as the country faces what the agency called a historic drought.

The move is meant to help producers operating under France’s official quality and origin schemes, known as SIQO, when exceptional climate conditions make it hard to comply with some production rules. INAO said it is reviewing requests for temporary amendments to specifications for products under AOP, IGP, STG and Label Rouge designations, and is also handling individual derogation requests in organic farming when they are justified by exceptional weather conditions.

In its guidance published Monday, the agency said the mechanism is tightly regulated under French and European law and is designed to allow limited and temporary adjustments without changing a product’s core identity. INAO said the purpose is to let producers adapt some practices during severe climate stress while preserving the essential characteristics and quality level of the product.

The agency gave examples of changes that may be considered, including grazing periods, animal feed conditions and some rules related to forage production. It said the changes do not apply automatically to every producer in a designation area. Instead, they are requested by the relevant producer organization, known in France as an organism for defense and management, after local problems are identified in a territory or sector. The approved change then becomes an option available only to producers who actually need it.

INAO stressed that the temporary measures do not amount to a broad suspension of appellation rules. According to the agency, only specific and clearly identified parts of a specification can be changed, and the fundamental features of the product must remain intact.

The procedure laid out by INAO begins with a request from producers through their defense and management organization. The case is then examined by the institute’s specialized committees, which assess whether the request is justified and technically sound. If INAO approves the measure, it is made official through an interministerial order published in France’s Official Journal. For AOP and IGP products, the change is also notified to the European Commission.

That process matters beyond agriculture because many French beverages, especially wines and some ciders and spirits, are sold under appellation or geographical indication rules that set detailed production standards. A clear path for temporary changes could reduce regulatory uncertainty for those sectors during drought and give producers more room to protect product quality and keep goods on the market if climate conditions make normal compliance difficult.

INAO said the temporary measures are intended as a response to exceptional events, not as a long-term substitute for adaptation. The agency said producer groups have already been working for years to revise specifications and production practices to address climate change, with support from industry professionals, technical institutes and researchers.

As one example, INAO pointed to the ADAoPT project, carried out with the French Livestock Institute, or Idele, to help dairy AOP and IGP sectors define climate adaptation strategies. The work includes efforts to improve forage management and storage, adjust some livestock practices and adapt production systems to new weather conditions. INAO said the aim is to better anticipate drought episodes and eventually reduce the need for temporary rule changes.

The agency also devoted part of its notice to organic livestock farming, where drought is creating separate pressure on feed supplies. INAO said the organic livestock model depends heavily on feed autonomy at the farm level and, for herbivores, on diets based mainly on grass and forage produced on the farm. Because drought has reduced grass growth, some farmers have already had to use feed stocks that are normally reserved for winter.

INAO warned that if rain does not return quickly enough to restore pasture growth and feed autonomy, some organic farms could face critical conditions and may not be able to feed animals this winter. In response, the institute said it can grant temporary derogations allowing the use of non-organic feed in limited cases.

Those derogations are предусмотрed under European organic rules when there are significant production losses linked to exceptional climate events. INAO said there is no blanket authorization. Each case must be submitted individually, justified with evidence and filed through the agency’s online system. The institute then reviews the request and, if warranted, grants a derogation under a strict legal framework. It added that only certain feeds are eligible and that the share of non-organic feed allowed in the ration remains limited.

INAO’s announcement did not present the changes as a relaxation of product identity rules. Instead, it framed them as a controlled emergency tool at a time when drought is straining production systems across France. For producers working under protected labels, including beverage makers whose commercial value often depends on strict origin rules, the agency’s message was that short-term flexibility remains possible, but only through formal requests, public approval and time-limited measures.