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Swiss farmers protest over prices and bureaucracy

Farmers' movement emphasizes demands with protest in Bern
The demonstration on December 3 was organised in front of the Federal Office for Agriculture in Liebefeld, near Bern. Keystone-SDA

Around 1,000 Swiss farmers took part in a protest action near Bern on Tuesday, calling for less administrative work, more planning security and fairer prices.

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The demonstration was organised in front of the Federal Office for Agriculture in Liebefeld, near Bern. A farmers’ group had urged protesters not to come with tractors but to bring cow bells.

Many heeded the call and also brought protest signs and cantonal flags to illustrate the breadth of their protest movement.

+ Swiss farmers protest cuts ‘at the expense of farming families’

2024 has not been easy for agriculture and farming families in Switzerland due to difficult market situations, uncertain framework conditions and major farming problems linked to the weather, the protest movement wrote in a letter.

+ Why Swiss farmers are rising in protest

A call for greater appreciation of their work and products is the only one that has been followed in recent national votes on agricultural issues. But their demand for less bureaucracy imposed by the federal authorities has not been recognised, they argue.

The protesters are also calling for more stability and planning security for farming families and for fair and appropriate compensation for their products and work.

Translated from German by DeepL/sb

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