Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
Like many Western countries, Switzerland is ageing – and this demographic shift is creating a pressing problem: a shortage of places in retirement homes. There is a temporary solution, as you’ll read below, but it may not last.
Also in today’s news: an exceptional potato harvest, the return of avian flu, and a controversy over a major rail contract.
Enjoy your reading,
Switzerland still lacks sufficient places in its medical and social care facilities, leaving many older people stuck in hospital beds while waiting for a vacancy.
An RTS report shows that around 15% of hospital beds in canton Neuchâtel are occupied by elderly patients awaiting placement in a medical and social care facility. The situation is similar in other cantons, including Geneva.
Finances are another obstacle: elderly people without savings or supplementary benefits often struggle to secure a place. The financial burden can then fall on relatives – in Geneva, for example, a medical and social care facility stay costs around CHF217 ($270) per day.
With the Swiss population ageing rapidly, the problem is expected to worsen. According to the Federal Statistical Office, the number of people aged over 80 will double by 2050 to 1.11 million – nearly 10% of the total population.
Avian flu has returned to Switzerland. The virus was detected this week in a wild greylag goose in Vinelz, a municipality on the shores of Lake Biel.
Similar outbreaks have recently been recorded in several European countries, particularly Germany. The Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office said the reappearance in Switzerland was therefore “no surprise”.
Enhanced surveillance has been introduced along a three-kilometre stretch of the lakes of Neuchâtel, Biel and Murten. Poultry farms with more than 50 birds must also take precautionary measures to prevent domestic poultry from coming into contact with wild birds.
The office stressed that transmission to humans is extremely rare and has so far occurred only after close, unprotected contact with infected poultry. It nonetheless urged the public not to touch sick or dead wild birds and to report them to local authorities.
After several difficult seasons, 2025 is shaping up to be an exceptional year for Switzerland’s potato farmers – so much so that creative solutions are needed to handle the surplus.
While the harvest was mediocre in 2023 and average in 2024, mainly due to weather conditions and pests, yields in 2025 look set to be exceptional. About 453,000 tonnes should be harvested, far more than in previous years (between 340,000 and 380,000 tonnes).
To manage the glut, excess potatoes will be repurposed as cattle feed. Those not intended for human consumption must be dyed orange to prevent illegal resale – a system designed to stabilise prices and protect producers.
This system prevents prices from collapsing, as is the case in several countries. In Switzerland, a support fund exists to deal with crises in potato production. Financed by a small levy on every kilo produced, it ensures that the sector remains resilient when faced with exceptional yields or market disruptions.
A major purchase by Swiss Federal Railways has sparked debate over whether large public contracts should favour Swiss industry.
Swiss Federal Railways has awarded Siemens Mobility a CHF2.1 billion ($2.6 billion) contract to supply 116 double-decker trains for the Zurich S-Bahn and French-speaking Switzerland. According to Swiss Federal Railways Director Vincent Ducrot, the German manufacturer offered the best performance in terms of price, energy efficiency, maintenance and sustainability.
Swiss manufacturer Stadler Rail, however, criticised the decision, noting that its bid was only 0.6% more expensive. The company highlighted its reliability record, 6,000 employees in Switzerland and partnerships with more than 200 local SMEs.
The UNIA trade union finds it “incomprehensible” that such a contract should be awarded to a foreign firm. “Swiss industry is currently facing a crisis situation that has been partly provoked from outside. If the rolling stock contract had been awarded to an indigenous company, more than 170 Swiss subcontractors would have been able to work along the value chain, with very tight deadlines,” states UNIA. Pointing out in passing that the law provides for support for Swiss industry. The union is calling on the Swiss federal government and Swiss Federal Railways to disclose the full criteria behind the selection of the German supplier.
Translated from French using DeepL/amva
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