Heatwaves and drought hit Swiss cheese makers

Heat stress is causing cows to eat less and produce less milk. At the same time, grass growth has been severely curtailed, creating fodder shortages. Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller

The heatwaves and drought are taking a growing toll on Swiss cheese makers. Cows are producing less milk and farmers are running short of fodder, forcing many to incur additional costs.

The situation for dairy farmers is currently “very tense”, Christa Brügger, spokesperson for the Swiss Milk Producers’ Federation (PSL), told the Keystone-ATS news agency. Alongside persistent heat and drought, farmers are grappling with low milk prices, rising costs and, on some farms, animal health problems.

Heat stress is causing cows to eat less and produce less milk. At the same time, grass growth has been severely reduced, creating fodder shortages. Many farms have already begun using reserves intended for autumn and winter.

‘Very significant impact’

The Gruyère and Tête de Moine interprofessional organisations say the effects are being felt across the sector.

The drought and high temperatures are having “a very significant impact” on animal health and fodder availability, said Olivier Isler, director of the Gruyère interprofessional organisation.

This situation is pushing up production costs as farmers buy additional feed and causing a drop in milk production. Some farms have also been forced to use winter fodder stocks to compensate for the lack of fresh grass.

In the Jura region, some farmers are already feeding cows hay originally earmarked for winter, said Martin Siegenthaler, manager of the Tête de Moine Interprofessional Organisation. “This situation confirms that increasingly unpredictable weather conditions pose a challenge for mountain cheese-making sectors,” he said.

For producers supplying milk for Tête de Moine AOP, securing compliant dry fodder is a particular concern. Product specifications prohibit the use of silage, including wrapped bales.

While welcoming federal support measures, Isler said they would not fully offset losses caused by the drought. “Only a swift return of rain and normal temperatures will remedy this situation,” he said.

Fall in production

The Gruyère organisation has recorded a decline in production in recent months compared with the same period last year. It expects output of Gruyère d’alpage cheese to fall by around 10%, Isler said.

The impact has been more limited for lowland cheese dairies. Most of them have milk that is not usually processed into Gruyère AOP, which helps to partially offset the drop in deliveries. Strong spring production should also help lowland dairies meet their quotas, he added.

The Tête de Moine Interprofessional Organisation has likewise reported lower milk production, particularly in July and August.

 “At this stage, we are seeing pressure on milk production, but we do not yet have a consolidated estimate to quantify a possible decline in Tête de Moine AOP production over the coming months,” Siegenthaler said.

Well-stocked

Despite the drop in milk output, Siegenthaler stressed that cheese stocks remain well supplied. Supplies for the end-of-year period, including Christmas, should not be affected, he said.

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Milk deliveries in June were still “significantly higher” than a year earlier, Brügger said. However, conditions deteriorated rapidly thereafter, making it difficult to predict how the situation will evolve. Much will depend on future weather conditions, fodder reserves and changes in livestock numbers, she said.

Meanwhile, the drought and fodder shortages are prompting some farmers to reduce herd numbers or cull their least productive animals earlier than planned, according to the PSL.

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Translated from French, reviewed by an English Department journalist.