Falling exports and unusually high production have left Switzerland with a surplus of milk. As a result, the dairy industry’s trade association has proposed slaughtering an additional 25,000 dairy cows this year.

At the beginning of August, the United States introduced a 39 per cent tariff on all goods imported from Switzerland – significantly higher than the 15 per cent imposed on EU countries. This has hit Swiss cheese exports hard. Exports were already in decline due to rising prices and a weakened dollar against the Swiss franc.

Compared with the same month last year, exports of Gruyère, Emmental and other Swiss cheeses fell by 55 per cent in August, according to ATL.se, citing Swiss agricultural media.

However, it is not only declining exports that have led to the country’s large milk surplus. Thanks to favourable weather conditions, Swiss dairy farmers have also produced more milk than usual. According to the industry organisation Milch, Switzerland currently has a milk surplus of around 5 per cent. The organisation is therefore calling for 25,000 more cows to be slaughtered than in a normal year.

At the same time, Milch is allocating 11 million Swiss francs from a crisis fund to support the export of butter and cream. In addition, 5 million francs will be used to support the export of chocolate and other products, reports ATL.se, citing the agricultural journal Schweizer Bauer.

Switzerland has around 550,000 dairy cows and produces approximately 3.6 million tonnes of milk annually. Cheese production plays a central role, accounting for about 190,000 tonnes per year, including world-famous varieties such as Gruyère and Emmental.

Read the article on ATL.se HERE

Photo: Sukanya Basu, Unsplash

By LWM