Swiss farmers downplay impact of US tariff deal

The idea that Swiss supermarkets would be flooded with American meat imports is exaggerated, says Michel Darbellay, deputy director of the Swiss Farmers' Union. Keystone / Christian Beutler

The recent US tariff rate cut to 15% and the details of the framework trade agreement with Washington have raised questions about the consequences for the Swiss agricultural sector. But a senior Swiss Farmers’ Union official plays down the impact of the deal.

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The agreement announced on Friday between Switzerland and the US to slash tariffs on imported Swiss products to 15% from 39% will allow Switzerland to import more American meat.

Reacting to the news, Green Party leader Lisa Mazzone declared that “the Swiss economic elite and the Federal Council are bowing down to Donald Trump” and that Swiss agriculture, along with consumer interests, had been sacrificed.

Pierre-André Page, a farmer and Swiss People’s Party parliamentarian, told Swiss public television RTS: “I am not worried about this deal; it is an important contract for Gruyère cheese production. On my farm we produce Gruyère and exports are significant. With the reduction of taxes from 39% to 15%, it is still a tax, but it is already much better.”

Sense of relief

Michel Darbellay, deputy director of the Swiss Farmers’ Union, says it’s important to underline the sense of relief following this agreement. “It’s a relief first for the dairy market, for cheese exports, but also for Swiss chocolate. We know that the dairy market is currently facing difficulties, and it’s also important to have these outlets in the United States. Today, the dairy sector has invested to maintain its presence on US shelves, and it’s essential that we can maintain this market and this export potential,” he explained.

While acknowledging certain concerns over US meat imports, he cautioned: “If things are done fairly, that is to say within the framework of import quotas, we can view things rather calmly.”

Meat concerns

The Swiss concessions cover 3,000 tons of US meat, including 500 tons of beef, 1,000 tons of bison, and 1,500 tons of poultry. These volumes are “significantly lower than the quantities we import annually,” said Darbellay. By comparison, in 2024, Switzerland imported just over 100,000 tons of meat, primarily from Germany and Austria. Meanwhile, the country produced 450,000 tons of meat domestically.

For the Swiss Farmers’ Union, the key is that these imports remain strictly regulated.

“If it can be integrated within the framework of the tariff quota, there will be no additional pressure on Swiss agriculture,” he added.

Darbellay pointed out that “chlorine-treated chicken is banned” in Switzerland and that the industry will ensure compliance with non-tariff measures. Hormone-treated beef, however, is subject to mandatory declaration.

He said the idea that Swiss supermarkets would be flooded with American meat imports is exaggerated. Most imported chicken today comes from Brazil or Hungary, and consumer preference remains clearly Swiss. “We have the strictest animal welfare regulations in the world, traceability, and this trust between producer and consumer,” he said.

Farmer Daniel Schwager echoed this sentiment. “Today, we produce about 60% of the poultry consumed in Switzerland, and the other 40% is imported. And then, in supermarkets, it’s the consumer who makes the choice between the Swiss product and the imported one,” he told RTS.

While the agreement with Washington is still considered manageable, the global context is more worrying. “You have to look at the big picture: the agreement with Mercosur, other free trade agreements… Swiss agriculture is under strong international pressure,” said Darbellay.

In this regard, he says it is “incomprehensible” that the Federal Council is considering cost savings in the agricultural sector, particularly through the 2027 relief programme. The Swiss Farmers’ Union demands that agriculture be exempted from the government’s savings package, especially as new commercial concessions are accumulating.

Translated from French by DeepL/sb

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