‘Switzerland will be dependent on imports until the end of 2024’

'Switzerland will be dependent on imports until the end of 2024' Keystone / Gaetan Bally

According to the Swiss Farmers' Union, "from a statistical point of view, from Tuesday onwards, Switzerland will rely solely on imports until the end of the year".

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The Swiss Farmers’ Union claims, “domestic agriculture produces only 52% of the food needed by the population”.

The “gross self-sufficiency rate” has been steadily declining in recent years, the Swiss Farmers’ Union continues. From a statistical point of view, Switzerland’s self-sufficiency will come to an end on Tuesday.

Until the end of the year, the Swiss population will be dependent on imported foodstuffs. This makes Switzerland one of the world’s biggest net importers, according to the Swiss Farmers’ Union.

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Switzerland’s neighbors are more self-sufficient

The farmers’ umbrella organisation draws comparisons with Germany, which is said to have a self-sufficiency rate of 88% and can therefore make do with domestic produce until November 1. France, on the other hand, produces enough food to meet the needs of its entire population.

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However, writes the Swiss Farmers’ Union, food production abroad has a greater ecological impact than in Switzerland. “According to a report by the Federal Office for the Environment, 75% of the ecological footprint associated with consumption in Switzerland is generated abroad.

“The less we produce at home and the more we import, the greater our impact on the planet”, insists the umbrella organisation. “Protecting our production areas and indigenous agriculture is therefore important not only for food security, but also for global environmental reasons”.

Translated from German by DeepL/amva

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