Cheese consumption has drastically decreased since the beginning of the health crisis. Producers feel abandoned by the government and many are are at risk of bankruptcy.

In France every second cheese factory has closed down due to the coronavirus epidemic.

The consumption of the PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) products, including cheese, has dropped by two-thirds since mid-March, therefore some renowned gastronomy companies have joined forces to highlight the dangers threatening PDO-labelled cheese types. The production of the famous Bleu d Auvergne cheese has almost completely stopped, and the consumption of legendary cheeses such as Saint Nectaire, Rocamadour, Normandy brie and camembert has declined by 60 per cent.

According to Michel Lacoste, president of CNAOL (National Council of Appellations of Dairy Origin), a group for producers of the 45 French cheeses that are protected by the EU s lucrative geographical indication label, this means a loss of almost €160 million for French cheese producers. The closure of markets and restaurants largely contributes to this decline, which means producers are unable to sell their stocks. They fear that this could prove lethal for several businesses.

The fact that cheese producers have continued working after the quarantine was introduced has led to overproduction, accumulating 2,000 tonnes of high-quality PDO cheese, of which 140 tonnes have since been destroyed. Cheese producers complain that the state has let them down and they have received no support, thus hundreds of French cheese producers could potentially go bankrupt.