The Federal Office of Agriculture (FOAG) has released its 2024 agricultural report, the figures of which show a strong participation of farmers in the new direct payment programs, put in place to reduce the risks linked to phytosanitary products.
To implement the parliamentary initiative “Reducing the risk of pesticide use”, the Federal Council introduced new direct payment programs at the beginning of 2023. For example, new contributions to the production system have been introduced for the non-use of phytosanitary products, to improve soil fertility and to encourage breeders to put cattle to pasture. These new direct payments aim to promote a sustainable mode of production adapted to local conditions and to reduce the negative effects of agricultural activity on the environment.
The high participation in the new contributions to the production system in the year since their implementation shows that agriculture is ready to meet these challenges. In 2023, farms have renounced the use of herbicides on 19% of the total surface area of arable land, vineyards and orchards, according to the OFAG. In addition, some 14,000 farms have given up using fungicides and insecticides on 102,000 hectares of crops. While these results are encouraging, it also turns out that the withdrawal of certain phytosanitary products has made crop protection more demanding.
In animal production, producer prices for milk and pork increased in 2023. For the rest of livestock for slaughter and eggs, the price trend was downward. In the area of crop production, prices also developed in contrasting ways. While producer prices for oilseeds, feed grains and some vegetables have fallen, they have increased for potatoes and pome fruits. In total, the producer price index increased by 1.5% in 2023. The prices of agricultural means of production also increased by 1.8%, which increased production costs in agriculture.
For more than 30 years, Agroscope and the FOAG have continuously collected data and presented them in the Agricultural Report. This shows that the environmental impact of agriculture has decreased. Ammonia emissions, for example, have fallen by 23% since 1990, and excess phosphorus has even fallen by 74%. Successes have been recorded in particular following the introduction of direct payments in the early 1990s. Challenges remain, in particular with regard to nitrogen losses and greenhouse gas emissions.
