Swiss farmers are ready to commit to sustainable production. The new contributions for the non-use of phytosanitary products, to improve soil fertility and to put cows to pasture have aroused enthusiasm.
These new programs were introduced at the beginning of 2023. And they are already showing their effects, the Federal Office of Agriculture (FOAG) rejoiced to the media on Thursday during the presentation of the 2024 agricultural report.
Farms have renounced the use of herbicides on 19% of the total surface area of arable land, vineyards and orchards (53,000 hectares). Around 14,000 farms no longer use fungicides or insecticides on 102,000 hectares, or 55% of the surface area.
The FOAG also notes that insecticides, acaricides and fungicides are no longer used on 19% of perennial crops after flowering. And 20% of market gardening and small fruit crops are no longer treated with insecticides and acaricides.
“On the right track”
For Christian Hofer, director of the FOAG, “we are on the right track”. But the use of pesticides and fungicides also depends on the climate. “In wet years, like 2024, these products are used more than in dry years.”
An action plan to halve the use of phytosanitary products by 2027 has been in force since 2017. The first results are positive. The measures helped reduce environmental risks.
However, crop protection is becoming increasingly difficult with the withdrawal of different active substances, Hofer said. Solutions must be found, otherwise Switzerland will have to import agricultural products.
“Land of meadows”
Switzerland can, however, count on its grassland production. “We are a country of grasslands,” emphasized the FOAG director. Meadows and pastures are a central element of Switzerland’s food security.
Two-thirds of the oxen are fed with fodder (grass and hay). Switzerland is “world champion” in the use of rough fodder and needs less concentrated feed than other countries. It has approximately 725,600 hectares of meadows, pastures and artificial meadows.
Pork meat, the most produced
In 2023, Swiss agriculture produced 361,906 tonnes of meat, of which 45% was pork. The number of pigs decreased by 3.5% to 1.32 million heads. However, it remains the most produced meat. Beef production increased by 1.4% and represents 81,331 tonnes.
Poultry represents 13 million animals. It decreased by 1% to stand at 88,000 tonnes. Egg production, for its part, decreased by 3.7% and amounts to around 1 billion pieces. Production of deer, rabbit and goat meat has also declined.
Last year was marked by an increase in producer and consumer prices over one year for most of the products observed, the OFAG further indicates.
Roast pork is thus 17% more expensive than in 2022. And potatoes 15%. Most vegetables have become more expensive, such as tomatoes (+9%). Milk costs 8% more.
More organic and more women
In 2023, Switzerland had 47,719 agricultural holdings, 625 fewer than a year earlier. The average useful agricultural area increased by 28 ares to stand at 21.8 hectares. Organic farming is gaining ground: 7,896 farms were organic, 77 more than in 2022 and 30% more than ten years ago.
The number of farms run by women has also increased. It reaches 7.3% in 2023. If farming families feel less secure and more exhausted than the Swiss population, in general, they are more satisfied with their current life.
