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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After a missile landed near Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion Airport, Swiss International Airlines (SWISS) cancelled its flight from Zurich to Tel Aviv on Sunday.
Swiss foreign minister rejects mandatory referendum for EU deals
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Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis defended the government’s decision to make EU deals subject to an optional rather than a mandatory referendum.
Pro-choice and anti-abortion activists face off in Geneva
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Anti-abortion Christian groups held a silent prayer in front of the Geneva train station on Saturday, to the whistles and shouts of pro-choice demonstrators.
Swiss army soldier seriously injured in accident on Simplon Pass
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A member of the Swiss army was seriously injured on Friday while manoeuvring a self-propelled howitzer on the Simplon Pass.
Basel attempts world‘s largest over-60s disco before Eurovision Song Contest
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It was billed as a world record attempt for the biggest over-60s disco of all time. But most visitors came to Basel to have fun.
Basel prepares 700 volunteers for the Eurovision Song Contest
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Around 320 people took part in one of the two official information events for the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Basel on Friday.
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The Swiss army has reported various accidents involving Swiss soldiers during the exercise “TRIAS 25” in Austria. Some have led to hospitalisations.
Swiss court rules vegan meat substitutes can’t use animal names
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Vegan meat substitutes may not bear animal names such as “planted.chicken” according to a ruling by the Swiss Federal Supreme Court.
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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.