How agroecological transition can jeopardize compliance with Protected Designation of Origin specifications: a living lab case study in Fourme de Montbrison cheese

FPR-farms applied a more intensive rotational grazing system, offering young-growth herbage that was highly digestible and rich in protein and water-soluble carbohydrate but low in physically effective NDF, resulting in lower milk fat content and FPR.Subsequent discussions with stakeholders identified 4 possible solutions: increase fiber content in the spring-season cow diet by i) supplementing hay at pasture using a mobile hay rack or ii) delaying the utilization of herbage until a later phenological stage; iii) introduce some Jersey-breed cows into the herd to increase milk fat content; or iv) slow the concentrate transit rate and fermentation by substituting corn cob silage with corn flour.Solution 'iv' was the only solution that stakeholders considered feasible.It was tested on 4 FPR-farms that were then compared against 4 equivalent farms that continued running their usual practices.Changing the type of concentrate has no effect on milk composition.The living-lab approach was found to effectively increase stakeholder participation and engagement, but the process of co-constructing experiments may lead to practices being tested that do not effectively solve the studied problem.Agroecological transition may induce long-term and often unexpected effects on product characteristics, which means that deeper research is warranted.