
Domestic production as a blind spot
Switzerland's food security is increasingly under pressure: last year's disastrous wheat and potato harvests have led to an increasing dependence on imports. However, the report by the Federal Office for National Economic Supply (FONES) is largely silent on the precarious state of the domestic agricultural sector. The IG BauernUnternehmen (Farmers' Company) has therefore sharply criticised the federal government.
Thursday, January 23, 2025
2024 went down as one of the worst harvest years in Swiss history. Wet weather, combined with plant diseases and pests, led to massive crop failures in potatoes and wheat. Swiss farmers spoke of a ‘fateful year’. The potato harvest was described as disastrous, while the wheat harvest was at its lowest in decades.
Instead of addressing these developments, domestic production – including the poor wheat and potato harvests – was largely unmentioned in the FONES report on food security in August, as reported in the ‘Schweizer Bauer’. This caused outrage, particularly among the Farmers‘ Business Association. In September, the association issued a press release entitled: “Who will stop this unrealistic civil service of the Federal Office for National Economic Supply?”
The Farmers’ Business Association even considered filing a complaint against the report, arguing that the report was not only arbitrary and contrary to the facts, but also violated the constitution.
Switzerland's self-sufficiency rate now only at 52 per cent
With a gross self-sufficiency rate of only around 52 per cent, Switzerland is increasingly dependent on imports. However, there were also significant crop failures abroad in 2024. In Europe, heavy rainfall affected plant growth, leading to lower yields in countries such as France, Italy and Austria.
In its press release, the IG BauernUnternehmen asked where Switzerland would source its food if neighbouring countries were also struggling with crop failures. The IG also pointed out that food production abroad often has a greater environmental impact. The effects of water-intensive organic and conventional vegetable production in the Spanish province of Almería are regularly the subject of media reports, as can be seen from an article from agrarheute and a report from SRF. The environment is also affected by transport. Water shortages and the effects of transport accumulate in the case of Egypt, one of Switzerland's main potato-exporting countries. Due to last year's miserable harvests in this country, even more potatoes than usual have to be imported from there, with even more being imported organically than conventionally. Food security is also essential from a global environmental perspective. At the same time, the IG BauernUnternehmen emphasises that crop protection is essential for resource-efficient agriculture.
A change with a signalling effect?
Shortly after the criticism from the IG BauernUnternehmen, there was movement at the BLW: the delegate Hans Häfliger resigned at the end of the year. And the BWL's status report of 9 September 2024 provided information for the first time on the situation regarding food security and the situation in grain farming. However, the potato harvest and the lack of crop protection were still not mentioned at all. A holistic view of this federal office is urgently needed.
One thing is certain: the challenges for Swiss agriculture are enormous. Domestic production is falling and at the same time imports are becoming increasingly uncertain. From the point of view of the Farmers Company IG, the solution lies in strengthening domestic production, which also includes the targeted use of crop protection products. The IG is of the opinion that this is the only way to minimise harvest losses. And it is the only way to achieve a truly resource-efficient agriculture.
Kindly note:
We, a non-native editorial team value clear and faultless communication. At times we have to prioritize speed over perfection, utilizing tools, that are still learning.
We are deepL sorry for any observed stylistic or spelling errors.
Related articles

Dramatic drop in yields without crop protection
Food security is one of the greatest global challenges of the 21st century. The world's population is growing and the growing conditions for agriculture are deteriorating due to climate change.

Precarious situation for potato farmers
Potato farmers in Switzerland are sounding the alarm. Due to all the rain, late blight is spreading and destroying their harvest. There is talk of disastrous conditions or a "fateful year" for Swiss potatoes. 300 hectares of potato fields have already had to be abandoned - and more could follow. In the meantime, the federal government has also drawn the first conclusions.

Catastrophic wheat harvest: Bad weather and restrictions on crop protection
The reports are piling up: 2024 will go down in history as the worst wheat harvest in decades. One of Switzerland's largest grain collection centres in Thalheim an der Thur suffers a historic loss.

Differing perceptions
While the increasing administrative burden is perceived as the main concern in the economy, parts of the population see it differently. Meanwhile, regulations are repeatedly misused as a means of exerting power in the competitive struggle – to the detriment of SMEs.

PFAS regulation in Switzerland: Not faster, but better
Some people also call PFAS ‘forever chemicals’. Their use must be regulated as wisely as possible. To do this, the federal government first needs to do precise groundwork, according to Stefan Brupbacher, Urs Furrer and Stephan Mumenthaler.

gfs survey confirms high acceptance of genome editing
A large majority of the Swiss population recognises the advantages of targeted plant breeding using genome editing. This is shown by a survey conducted by gfs.bern.

In plant breeding the music plays elsewhere
Switzerland is a centre of innovation, but unfortunately this promise has not yet been kept when it comes to the more modern methods of plant breeding. Openness would be a good thing for innovative Switzerland here too.