Swiss farmers call for rise in producer prices

Farmers are calling for a 5-10% rise in producer prices Keystone/gaetan Bally

Swiss farmers are worried. Not only are they suffering from sharply falling incomes, but they also have to contend with consumers cutting back on food.

“Most farmers are rather disillusioned. At a time when everything is getting more expensive, people seem to be saving on food first and foremost,” Markus Ritter, president of the Swiss Farmers’ Union, told the media at the organisation’s start-of-year press conference on Wednesday.

+ Farmers call for Switzerland to tackle reliance on food imports

According to figures available for 2022, the economic situation of farmers has deteriorated sharply. Income per family labour unit has fallen by 4.1% year-on-year in lowland regions and by 10.4% in hilly areas. In mountain regions, the annual income is just CHF40,100 ($47,300) for a full-time job (-6.8%).

Farmers are calling for a 5-10% rise in producer prices.

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