Figures released this week by the Swiss Federal Statistics OfficeExternal link revealed a 1.5% drop in the number of farms, bringing the total down to 50,852. However, the number of certified organic farms rose by about 400 to 7,032. This brought the share of organic farms up 1.4 percentage points to 15%.
With these changes came updates to the sorts of animals kept on Swiss farms. Compared to 2017, last year saw a 6.2% increase in the number of laying hens to over 3.37 million birds. Of these, 18% were raised organically. There was also a 3.1% increase in the number of goats, bringing their total population to 80,552.
The number of dairy cows fell to 564,200, representing a decline of 10% over the past decade. However, the number of cattle reared for meat went up by 1.7%, as in previous years.
The trend towards ever larger farms also continued in 2018. Compared to the previous year, 1.6% more farms with a usable area of more than 30 hectares were counted. Smaller farms fell by 2.3%, either because of closures or mergers. The average farm size was a good 20 hectares; in 1980, farms were on average only half as large.
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Egg production keeps on rising
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Although the Swiss eat far fewer eggs than their German and Austrian neighbours, Swiss chickens are no layabouts.
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Hollywood star Pamela Anderson will be honoured at the Zurich Film Festival for her career and role in the film The Last Showgirl.
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Excess mortality rate post-Covid could persist until 2033
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According to a report by reinsurer Swiss Re, many countries are still experiencing excess mortality following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Swiss Army ends clean-up operation in storm-hit Maggia Valley
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The Swiss Armed Forces completed 76 flight hours during the clean-up operation following the storm in the Maggia Valley in Ticino at the end of June.
Swiss cruise ship stranded on Danube River after heavy rains
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Passengers on a Swiss river-cruise ship stranded on the Danube following heavy rainfall are still unable to disembark in Vienna due to flooding.
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Public libraries in Switzerland recorded 46.3 million admissions last year, 7.4 million more than in 2022, says the Federal Statistical Office.
Swiss conservative party seeks referendum against Eurovision contest
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The Swiss Federal Democratic Union is launching a referendum to prevent the Eurovision Song Contest from taking place in Basel next year.
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Pesticide residues found on 93% of organic Swiss farms
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Most fields on organic farms in Switzerland are contaminated with pesticides, according to a study by the University of Neuchâtel.
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Organic food continues to attract Swiss consumers, who spent CHF360 per person on such produce in 2018, up from CHF320 the previous year.
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The trend for fewer but larger farms continued in Switzerland last year, with the total number dropping by 990 to 52,263.
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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.