France's creamy raw milk Camembert cheese won a battle of exclusiveness Thursday after producers and a government body agreed on a revision of criteria for a coveted label after months of conflict.

Under new rules the iconic cheese must be made from raw milk from a region half the size of the previous area in Normandy.

Major groups Lactalis and Isigny-Sainte-Mere which together make more than 80 percent of Camembert with the Appelation d'Origine Controllee (AOC) label had contested the exclusive use of raw milk for health reasons.

One in two cows providing the milk must also be of Normandy origin and they must graze on Normandy pastures for at least six months and be fed hay the rest of the time.

No conditions had been set earlier for the use of milk to obtain the "Camembert de Normandie" label.

"Real Camembert" promoters hailed the decision made late Wednesday as "undeniable progress".

France's "Camembert war" erupted in March last year when the two big producers -- Lactalis and Isigny-Sainte-Mere -- had switched to using treated milk for some of their brands on the grounds that it is safer.

Lactalis and Isigny-Sainte-Mere had argued for dropping the requirement that raw milk be used in the production of Camember to qualify for the AOC label.

A Committee for the Defence of Authentic Camembert was created and in February the group voted to preserve the mandatory use of raw milk in the production of AOC Camembert.

For cheese-lovers, the difference between a genuine "lait cru" Camembert produced in France's northwest Normandy region and the common supermarket variety made with pasteurised milk is like the difference between vintage wine and a mass-produced plonk.

But production of the traditional brand is considered more costly because it involves many health and hygiene measures to reduce the risk of bacteria such as listeria.