Although it suffered the prejudice of imitations coming form other regions in France or from Italy, Saint-Nectaire was not to be included in the first attempt at cheese classification undertaken by the Ministry of Agriculture on 3rd February 1934, or in the decree dated 20th October 1936 which defined the 22 types of cheese with recognised "national dignity". It was only to appear in 1941.

This situation was to lead the producers, under the impulse of Pierre Boyer, to unite to defend their interests by creating, in 1935, the “Société d’Élevage et d’Amélioration des Produits Laitiers des Cantons de la Montagne de Besse et d’Issoire” (Society for farming and improving milk products from the cantons of the Besse Mountain and Issoire) which, in only four years, brought down the proportion of imperfect cheeses to 20%.

The judgement of the tribunal at Issoire dated 1st December 1955 establishing that the cheese bearing the "Saint-Nectaire" appellation must be made with whole fresh cows milk, curdled before cooling straight after milking, was to lay down the framework for making farmhouse Saint-Nectaire.

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Pierre Boyer