‘Victim of Its Success’: Is France's Beloved Comté Cheese Bad for the Environment?

‘Victim of its success’: Is France's beloved comté cheese bad for the environment?

Comté is the most eaten AOP cheese in France, but activists claims its very popularity – at home and overseas – is damaging the environment. The milk to make the comté can only be produced on the Jura plateau in eastern France where there are reports of intensification of livestock farming and pollution linked to wastewater treatment.

The Week Unwrapped: Why is cheese so bad for the environment?

Will weight-loss drugs cut cancer rates? What's behind a rise in 'sextortion' cases? And why is cheese so bad for the environment?Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days.A podcast for curious, open-minded people, The Week Unwrapped delivers fresh perspectives on politics, culture, technology and business. It makes for a lively, enlightening discussion, ranging from the serious to …

#HandsOffComté: Why is the beloved cheese causing such a stink in France?

Since the publication of an article mistakenly claiming the Green party wanted to ban comté, the political world has turned its attention to the cheese. While its production does have environmental consequences, it is not the only one responsible for the degradation of rivers in the eastern France region where it is made.

NRK reported on Friday morning that French environmental activists want to stop the production of Comté cheese. That was wrong. The truth is that an environmental activist has said that the cheese is so popular that its production leads to major pollution problems in agriculture. He pointed out the problems, but did not call for a ban. Instead, he suggested changes in production. When the matter first became known in France, it was perceived as …