Traditional camembert producers in France have hit out over “unfair” competition from "mediocre" mass-produced alternatives, ending a brief truce in the two-decade long cheese war.

Craft producers who use unpasteurised milk from Normandy cows to make France’s favourite soft cheese have resumed their long-running battle against proposed changes in labelling rules to take effect in 2021.

Until now, the prestigious label “appellation d’origine protegee” (AOP), has been reserved for unpasteurised camembert made with at least 50 per cent milk from Normandy cows.

But the changes would allow mass-produced and pasteurised products to claim AOP status.

In a bid to end the row, makers of the two types of Camembert agreed in February to share the AOP label on condition that industrial cheesemakers start using milk from herds with at least 30 per cent of Normandy cows.

But purists were never entirely satisfied with the compromise deal. Now the traditional producers who make 5,000 tons of unpasteurised Camembert are once again up in arms.

They argue that the market will be flooded by industrial producers who churn out more than 10 times as much cheese — some 60,000 tons a year. Traditional unpasteurised Camembert, reputed to taste better than heat-treated cheese, is in danger of disappearing, they claim.