Business group pushes for more streamlined farming sector
The main Swiss business federation has released its recommendations for the government’s sensitive reforms of the agriculture sector. Farmers’ groups reacted with cautious approval.
This content was published on
2 minutes
SDA-ATS/dos
Português
pt
Lobby empresarial quer setor agrícola mais simplificado
Concretely, the authors of the report suggest a streamlining of the system of agricultural subsidies – reducing them to four main categories – to cut down on red-tape and spur entrepreneurial innovation.
The group also suggests giving more power to the cantons to oversee all environmental and rural measures that have a regional impact. Bern should only take care of policies that apply uniformly across the whole country, they said.
As for the gradual opening to foreign competition of the Swiss agricultural sector, a key (and controversial) element of the government’s plans, economiesuisse did not offer a concrete opinion.
However, it said, the internal measures it suggests, by leaving more entrepreneurial space to local farmers, would be effective even under conditions of foreign competition, something it said Swiss farmers should be prepared for.
Farmers circumspect
The Swiss Farmers’ UnionExternal link said that the report raised the right questions, but that it was not fully onboard with all the recommendations, especially the idea of eliminating longstanding subsidies protecting Swiss cheesemakers from European competition.
Though interesting, “we do not agree with a large part of the measures proposed, and we need to proceed with an analysis of the details”, the farmers’ union stated.
The report comes just a month after controversial figures published by the liberal think-tank Avenir Suisse, who claimed that the agricultural sector costs the Swiss exchequer some CHF20 million ($20.25 million) annually.
Their statistics, as well as their recommendation to cut the spending by CHF14.4 million each year, met with harsh reaction from farming groups (see below).
In September, two nationwide votes were held on the future of Swiss agriculture, one of which aimed to boost the fortunes of small farms, the other focused on ensuring ethical standards on all imported food. Both were rejected.
More
More
Farmers slam think tank report on the future of Swiss agriculture
This content was published on
A report claiming that Swiss agricultural policy is too expensive and should be reformed, has been heavily criticised by the main farmers’ group.
Should raw milk sales be banned or should consumers decide?
Swiss food regulations do not allow raw milk to be sold for direct consumption. However, a loophole allows 400 raw milk vending machines to do just that.
Is reforming the Swiss pension system still possible, and if so, how?
Solutions still need to be found to meet the challenge of an ageing population and to improve the pensions of low-paid workers, the majority of whom are women.
This content was published on
Czech President Petr Pavel and his wife, Eva Pavlova, arrived in Switzerland on Tuesday at the start of a two-day state visit.
Study shows proliferation of non-native plants is driver of insect invasions
This content was published on
A global study has revealed that insect invasions are being driven by the proliferation of non-native plants. This can can massively disrupt ecological processes, often leading to serious economic impacts.
Swiss set record for world’s longest hyperloop test
This content was published on
Swiss scientists have established a record for the longest-ever hyperloop journey at a facility in Lausanne, Switzerland.
This content was published on
The Swiss army wants to purchase new German armoured howitzers to replace its existing artillery system which has been in operation for over 50 years.
Poll suggests Donald Trump has many fans in Switzerland
This content was published on
Around a quarter of Swiss citizens would vote for Donald Trump if they had the chance, according to a recent poll. This percentage is higher than in many other European countries.
Swiss court rejects special assistance for student with disabilities
This content was published on
The Swiss Federal Court has rejected an application for special assistance from a student with disabilities at the federal technology institute ETH Zurich.
Police arrest 15 drug dealers in Verbier in southern Switzerland
This content was published on
Swiss and French police have arrested 15 suspected drug dealers operating in the mountain resort of Verbier in southern Switzerland.
New European space tech centre in Switzerland launches its first project
This content was published on
The European Space Deep-Tech Innovation Centre (ESDI), launched in collaboration with the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), is to be located in the immediate vicinity of the PSI in northern Switzerland.
Swiss Federal Railways launches campaign for safety on public transport
This content was published on
The Swiss Federal Railways is launching a campaign for greater respect and safety on public transport, with posters to go up in stations and on trains starting next week.
This content was published on
Thousands of European farmers protested in the Belgian capital on Monday to demand European Union action to counter the slumping prices they get for milk and pork. Farmers converged on the EU headquarters from across the 28-nation bloc, arriving on hundreds of tractors and snarling traffic during morning rush hour in the capital. Around 50…
This content was published on
The main farmers’ group has renewed its criticism of plans by the government to open up the Swiss agriculture sector to international competition.
Radical change for Swiss agricultural policy goes to vote
This content was published on
A leftwing initiative wants farmers to provide food produced in a sustainable way: The radical proposals will come to a vote on September 23.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.