Pampi Olaizola expresses a slight regret, addressed to his predecessors. “When they wrote the specifications 23 years ago, they were too good students, too shy, to stick to the land.” Result: producers of Espelette peppers, obliged to respect strict criteria to benefit from the precious AOP appellation, have regularly asked for derogations for irrigation for two decades. They can only resort to it during the first month following sowing… Otherwise, they have to make do with the rains. “It is our eternal problem”, recognizes the president of the union. Which will necessarily worsen with climate change.
Last summer, the hottest ever recorded in Europe, producers of Espelette peppers obtained authorization to irrigate from the beginning of August to mid-September to compensate for the almost non-existent rainfall. In December, they also benefited from an additional fortnight to harvest, and were able to derogate from the fruit size criterion. “Otherwise we would throw away some of the peppers, the growth of the plant having been slowed down by the weather conditions”, explains Pampi Olaizola.
AOP mussel growers in the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel also experienced growth problems due to lack of rain. Last year, the sales period was shifted by two weeks to allow the shells to reach the required size. Not all succeeded: the smallest mussels were nevertheless sold under another label, but at a price lower than that of the AOP.
2022, “a real electroshock”
Cheeses, wines, lambs, beans… In 2022, there have never been so many products bearing the quality seal to request exemptions. “A real shock: there were 13 in 2019, and more than 40 last year”, notes Carole Ly, director of the National Institute of Origin and Quality (Inao). The situation has given a boost to reflections – already in progress – on the adaptation to a changing environment of these geographical designations which smell of the terroir.
The wine sector, a French symbol par excellence, acts as a pioneer with its Laccave project, launched in 2012 with Inrae (National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment). It has studied a wide range of solutions: planting more resistant grape varieties, new varieties, soil restoration, better water management… “We must open up possibilities for experimentation, regularly revise practices and have greater flexibility in the management of the specifications. That is to say, to organize without calling into question the spirit of the appellation”, says Jean-Marc Touzard, director of research at Inrae, who participated in the project.
“Finding the right balance”
To meet the promises of taste, local anchoring and typicality of the products, on which no one wants to draw a cross, “there is a fair balance to be found”, opines Carole Ly. Experiments are spreading, very often under the impetus of producer groups (the ODGs, defense and management organisations). In Espelette, the syndicate is entering its third year with a test plot to identify the water needs of peppers. “We are trying to determine when the fruit reaches a critical stage, to intervene at a homeopathic dose. It is not a question of irrigating just anyhow”, assures Pampi Olaizola, aware of the debate on the sharing of this resource. Producers are also trying new mulches (vegetable or paper instead of plastic), considering the best ways to maintain plant cover and till the soil.
In the land of a thousand cheeses, the sector has grasped the interest of supporting the transformations of a flagship of French gastronomy. The National Council for Dairy Designations of Origin (Cnaol) also leads a project with six AOPs and IGPs, spread over the territory, in order to identify elements that can enable the sectors to be more resilient. “There is no one solution, no one-size-fits-all approach,” agrees Ronan Lasbleiz, one of ADAoPT’s coordinators. Are studied, for example, new fodder more resistant to heat. Because the feeding of the animals, very framed in the specifications (minimum duration of grazing, share of grass, local origin of the food), can quickly prove to be problematic in the event of drought, explaining the numerous derogations granted the year last with AOP cheese.
Towards a “cultural revolution” of appellations?
These being only a temporary solution, the Inao is also considering “the adaptation of procedures and regulations. The rural code, for example, prohibits watering the vines after August 15. But this n is no longer relevant at all”, admits Carole Ly. What about the delimitation of geographical areas? “On a small scale, there is a reflection. In the vineyard, historically, planting was prohibited above a certain height or on certain northern slopes. Maybe tomorrow, these criteria will have to be reviewed”, continues the director of the Inao.
Both the appellations and its protective authority “are at a turning point”, believes Jean-Marc Touzard. Three strategies are available to them. “The first, conservative – ‘we do nothing’ – is a dead end. The second is that of possible change through innovation. But how far to go? To want to completely artificialize production is to cut it off from the territory: it means the collapse of what makes AOP. It is also a dead end.” It is therefore necessary, according to the research director, “to build a third way, that of adaptive management. That is to say, to guarantee that producers seek to differentiate products by promoting local resources”. And why not, he suggests, “include more measures related to the environment in the specifications, such as carbon capture or the preservation of resources (water, soil)”?
Even if tastes are changing slightly, the agricultural engineer from Inrae considers it possible to build a story that appeals to consumers. It is still necessary to convince, before, the last reluctant producers, or let us say the least convinced, by these changes. “Farmers have always adapted to climate change, sweeps Carole Ly. But what is new today is their speed.” For Jean-Marc Touzard, the “cultural revolution” of appellations has only just begun.