Production of French salers cheese halted due to drought

One of the rules of salers production is that the local cows must be fed on at least 75% grass from pasture if their milk is to be used. Photograph: Herve Lenain/Alamy

Traditional cheese has become the latest casualty of France’s summer drought, as production of the salers variety in the central Auvergne region was halted due to a lack of grass for cows.

Salers is an unpasteurised cow’s cheese that has been made for centuries in central France. It carries France’s appellation d’origine protégée (AOP) stamp of approval, meaning it is unique to the small area where it is produced.