More than 62,000 tonnes of Swiss cheese were exported in 2009, 1.6 per cent more than the previous year.
This content was published on
1 minute
Top export – once again – was Emmental AOC, despite suffering an 8.6 per cent fall in orders, according to Switzerland Cheese Marketing on Wednesday. Roughly every third kilogram of exported cheese was Emmental.
Exports to Europe saw an increase of 4.6 per cent, but those to the United States plummeted by 24.3 per cent.
Climbers included Vacherin Fribourgeois, which went up by 15.5 per cent, and the category “other semi-hard cheese”, which rocketed by 45 per cent. The organisation said this was because of increased demand for speciality cheese.
Soft and cream cheese also had a very good year, increasing by 42 per cent, but hard cheese fell on hard times, dropping by 3.9 per cent.
There was also less good news for Raclette (down 2.7 per cent) and Tête de Moine (down 5.7 per cent).
Cheese imports also rose in 2009, by 7.4 per cent to 44,100 tonnes.
These positive figures contrast with those from the chocolate industry, also released on Wednesday, which showed sales of Swiss chocolate melting by 5.9 per cent in 2009, the first fall for six years.
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.
Read more
More
Cheese consumption hits record level
This content was published on
The increase of 430g per person was largely down to more imports – domestic cheese consumption rose by a mere ten grams. Semi-hard cheeses were most popular, notching up a 5.4 per cent increase, followed by cream and soft cheeses, both up 1.3 per cent. Sales of hard cheeses on the other hand fell by…
This content was published on
But the move has provoked strong opposition from farmers using the plant, while some experts have cast doubt over the evidence used to enforce the ban. The Federal Agriculture Office said that the ban, which came into force on March 1, covers all types of hemp – the plant used to make the cannabis drug.…
This content was published on
Swiss Mountain Aid last year funded over 500 livelihood projects in the Swiss Alps to the tune of SFr20 million ($18.9 million) to help people carve out an existence in the tough alpine environment. “Huge solidarity is essential to keep the mountain regions alive,” Hugo Höhn, director of Swiss Mountain Aid, told a media conference…
This content was published on
From the fields to the dairies to the cellars of the affineur – cheesemaking is a delicate art and every stage is decisive for the finished product. Clare O’Dea went to see what goes into making award-winning cheese.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
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.