Organic Farming in Switzerland 2007
Urs Niggli, FiBL, with updates by Helga Willer, FiBL
General Information on Agriculture
History and Development of Organic Farming
Statistical Development
Regional Distribution of Organic Farms
Organic Farming Organisations
Standards and State Regulations
Certification Scheme
State Support
The Market
Training
Advisory Services
Research
Challenges and Outlook
Links/Reference
1. General Information on Agriculture
in Switzerland
In 2005, the agriculturally
utilised surface in Switzerland totalled 1'065'118 hectares (for more details see homepage on key figures of the primary sector, Bundesamt für
Statistik). About three quarters of that area are used for fodder production
(permanent grassland, grass clover ley and maize silage).
In 2005 there were 63'627 farms with an average farm size of 17 hectares.
Around three quarter of the farms were full-time holdings. However, a fast
shift towards part-time farms is projected for the next few years.
Swiss agriculture meets sixty-five per cent of the domestic food demand.
Higher domestic supplies of 90 to 100% are reached by potatoes,
pork, veal, cattle and most milk products.
2. History and Development of Organic Farming in
Switzerland
For more details see homepage on key figures of the primary sector: Bundesamt für Statistik.
Switzerland was undoubtedly the foremost pioneering country in organic
farming and has remained so until today in several areas.
2.1 Pioneering Work of the Swiss Organic Movement
Bio-dynamic farming
Bio-dynamic agriculture has a long history in Switzerland. The Section for Agriculture at the Goetheanum (formerly a unit of the Section of Natural Sciences) has a history going back to the 1930s. A detailed description is available at its homepage.
Research work was done here by Ehrenfried Pfeiffer and Lilli Kolisko in the 1940s and 1950s, and until today research activities are taking place. Annually the international agricultural conference is held at the Goetheanum in Dornach.
Until today there is a very active bio-dynamic farmers’ and consumers’ movement which started in the 1930s. The "Demeter" label was registered in 1954
Organic farming
The farmers’ movement initiated by Hans Müller became the nucleus of the organic farming movement in the 1940s. Together with his wife Maria Müller and his friend Hans Peter Rusch, a microbiologist, he became the founder of organic farming in the German-speaking countries. In 1949, he used the term "organisch-biologischer Landbau" ("organic-biological farming") for the first time.
Although very impressed by what Sir Albert Howard wrote, Müller never met Albert Howard nor Lady Eve Balfour. Until his death in 1988, the Möschberg near Bern was the main training centre for organic farmers from Switzerland, Austria and Germany.
Picture: The Moeschberg,
Canton Bern, Switzerland. Today the Moeschberg is a hotel, offering
facilities for seminars and courses (Photograph: Moeschberg)
 In 1946 Müller founded the AVG
Galmiz (today Bio Gemüse AV-AG), the first co-operative to commercialise organic products.
He set up a delivery / mail-order service for organic vegetable and
fruit boxes.
In 1972 Otto Buess, director of the state
agricultural school at Sissach, converted the school’s training
farm into an organic holding.
2.1.3
Further milestones of organic farming in Switzerland
- In 1977 FiBL organised the 1st International Scientific Conference "Towards Sustainable Agriculture" of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM). In 2000 FiBL organised the 13th IFOAM International Scientific Conference "The World Grows Organic"
- FiBL hosted the General
Secretariat
of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), from 1977 to 1980.
- In 1980 Swiss organic farmers’ associations founded the umbrella organisation "Vereinigung Schweizer Biologischer Landbau-Organisationen" (VSBLO), now Bio Suisse and national private standards were established. Farms and products were labelled with the common "Bio Suisse Bud" seal. Hartmut Vogtmann and Otto Schmid, who were involved in that work in Switzerland, later influenced the standard setting process within IFOAM.
3. Growth and Distribution of Organic Farms in Switzerland
Until 1990, the rate of conversions to organic farming had remained very steady for forty years, with annual growth rates of less than ten percent. During the boom years between 1990 and now, the number of organic farms increased from 800 to over 6'300 (2006). According to the Federal Agency for Statistics BFS currently 117'800 hectares are managed organically, constituting more than a tenth of the agricultural area (2006) .
 A brief note on Swiss organic farming statistics: In Switzerland there are two major collection systems for organic production data in place. There are the data of Bio Suisse, which do, however, not cover all organic farms but only those that are a member of Bio Suisse. The Federal Agency for Statistics BFS provides very detailed organic farming statistics, but it only includes farms which are eligible for direct payments. Not all organic farms receive such payments. A detailed report on 'Data collection and processing systems for organic markets' , including a description of the Swiss situation, was produced within the framework of the EISfOM project (European Information System for Organic Market Data).
 Figure: Development of organic farming in Switzerland 1996- 2005. Blue bars: Farms. Lines: Organic agricultural area 1995 to 2006.
Source: Research Institute of Organic Agriculture and Federal Agency of Statistics BFS
Several factors have driven this growth:
- the consumers’ concern about healthy food;
- the agri–environmental policy of the state government, which supports organic farms with annual subsidies;
- the appearance the availability of organic foods in the two dominant supermarket chains, Coop and Migros;
- The the work of the organic actors like Bio Suisse, who unites the organic sector and of FiBL, who provides research and practical advice for farmers.
Most farms in Switzerland work organic-biologically. Although very well known to the public, bio-dynamic farms compose only a small niche within the organic sector - . The number of bio-dynamic farms has changed little during the fast expa n sion of organic farming.
4. Regional Distribution of organic farms
The distribution of organic farms in Switzerland is very uneven. In mountain regions the shares of organic land are very high; in the canton of Graubünden for instance mor e than 51 % of the agricu l tural land is organic.
The fact that a lot of the organic land is located in the Alpine regions is also reflected in the land use in Swiss organic farming, which has a higher percentage of gras s land than Swiss farming in general.
Figure: Land use in Swiss organic farming in 2006 (Grassland includes temporary grassland)
Source: Federal Agency of Statistics BFS.
In the western part of Switzerland, where stockless arable farms and horticultural crops dominate, the share of organically farmed land is low.
Figure: Share
of organic farms of all farms by cantons 2005
Source: Federal Agency of Statistics BFS, Graph: FiBL
Information about the
Swiss cantons is available at Wikipedia.
5. Organic Farming Organisations & Labels
 90 to
95 % of the Swiss organic farmers belong to the umbrella organisation Bio
Suisse (association of Swiss organic farming movements). Bio Suisse
currently consists of more than 30 member
organisations. A bud farm is thoroughly organically operated.
Some hundred licencees process organic raw materials according to the standards of Bio Suisse. Each bud product is labelled with the name of the licensee and the certification body. This guarantees that all bud products are controlled and the rigorous quality requirements are met.
Independent inspection services as e.g. the bio.inspecta in Frick, regularly inspect the farms and the trade and processing companies.
 Another
producer organisation with about 200 members is the association for
bio-dynamic agriculture (Demeter
Schweiz / Demeter
Suisse), a branch of Bio Suisse.
Important distribution channels for Demeter Suisse products are: direct
marketing at local markets and on the farms, natural food shops and
small retailers. Producers belonging to the bio-dynamic association use the bud seal as
well, because certification for the Demeter label includes the Bio Suisse
standards.
 The
Migros supermarket chain has introduced its own Migros
Bio label:. Migros is not a producer organisation, but a retailer.
Products marketed with the Migros "Bio" label are distributed
mainly through Migros stores.
For other and more specific labels, please check the internet
site of WWF.
6. Standards and State Regulations
The Swiss Organic Farming Ordinance as put
into force in 1998 following the legislation
in the European Union. Both Switzerland and the EU mutually recognise
each other’s certification schemes. Imports from EU countries or countries
on the third country list of the Swiss regulation must be accompanied
by a certificate from an inspection body from the respective country.
An individual import licence is required for imports from other countries.
At the internet site of the Federal Office of Agriculture BLW all documents related to the Swiss Organic Farming Ordinance are available.
When the Swiss Ordinance on organic farming came into force in 1998, organic farming had already developed considerably on the
basis of purely private certification. As early as 1980, all Swiss organic
farming organisations had agreed on common standards
for organic farming, on the use of the common "Bio
Suisse Bud" seal and on a common certification scheme.
 The
bud seal may be used by certified producers for domestic
and imported products which meet the Bio Suisse requirements Domestic products carry the name "Bio Suisse", imported products are labelled as "Bio" .
7. Certification Scheme
The Swiss Organic Farming Ordinance delegates
the inspection of organic farms and processors to private organisations,
but requires a certification and inspection scheme in compliance with
EN 45011. The Swiss
Federal Office of Metrology and Accreditation (METAS) is responsible
for the accreditation of inspection and certification bodies.
In Switzerland the main certifiers for farms are bio.inspecta
and BioTest Agro. For processors,
the main certifiers are: bio.inspecta, IMO (Institut für Marktökologie
and SQS (Swiss Association for Quality and Management Systems). A regularly
updated list of the Swiss
certification bodies is available from the FiBL homepage.
 Bio.inspecta
was established in 1998 in order to set up a neutral, independent and
credible auditing and certification procedure for organic products.
Today, bio.inspecta inspects and certifies more than 80% of all organic
farms across Switzerland and as well as retailers/traders
and processors of organic products.
 Bio Test Agro was founded in 1998. It has its seat in the canton of Berne .
 IMO
(Institut für Marktökologie
/ Institute for Marketecology) inspects and certifies farms and
processors in Switzerland and worldwide. For more than 20 years,
IMO has been active in the field of organic certification but it is
also an expert in the sectors of natural textiles, sustainable forestry,
and social accountability monitoring.
SGS (Société Générale
de Surveillance) mainly inspects and certifies processors and traders in Switzerland.
8. State Support
Swiss law requires all agricultural subsidies to be contingent on minimum
ecological standards. This agro-environmental policy is based on a referendum
from 1996.
The minimum ecological standards (Ökologischer
Leistungsnachweis ÖLN / prestations
écologiques requises (PER) require:
- Crop rotations with at least four crops;
- Measures against soil erosion;
- Equilibrium in the nutritional balance; and
- High biodiversity on seven per cent of the agricultural area.
In addition, Swiss farmers can choose from different special programmes,
e.g. for the maintenance of extensive areas such as hedges and fallow
land, and programmes for animal welfare.
For the organic farming payments both the requirements of the ÖLN
/ PER and those of the Swiss organic law must be met.
9. The Market
The Swiss organic market is over one billion Swiss Francs. On average the Swiss consumers spend 160 Swiss Francs (105 EUR) on organic products annually. The sales of organic products have been continually growing in the past years, and the market share of organic products is now five percent.There has been speculation about possible market saturation in Switzerland, but the overall trend in organic sales remains positive despite a decline in general consumer spending and the arrival of food discount stores, driving down consumer prices.
Figure: Growth
of the Organic Market in Switzerland 1997 to 2004 in million Swiss francs . 1Swiss Franc = 0.61
EUR (28.8.07)
Source: Rudmann / Willer 2005
Demand is highest for organic fresh products (meat, milk product, eggs, vegetables, fruit). For fresh products the market share is 7 %.Highest growth rates are achieved for cheese, cream, eggs and vegetables.
Figure: Market
share of organic fresh product ('Bioprodukte') of all fresh
products ('konv. Produkte'). 1Swiss Franc (sFr.) = 0.61 EUR. (28.8.07)
Source: Rudmann
/ Willer 2005
About 75 percent of sales pass through two major retailers and 15 percent through specialist organic shops, with the remainder retailing either direct from the producers or through family butchers and bakery shops. The two leading retail chains Co-op and MIGROS follow different strategies in their organic assortments. While Co-op continuously broadens the number of organic lines, MIGROS has slightly reduced its organic commitment. With the market entrance of the German discounters ALDI Co-op and Migros increased their communication efforts for their discount segments.
 Coop
Naturaplan sells a very wide
range of organic products in all its supermarkets. Its label Naturaplan
is not exclusively used for organic products; animal products coming
from animal friendly husbandry systems may also carry this label. Organic
products are additionally labelled with the Bio Suisse bud.
Migros
is selling its organic products under the Migros Bio Engagement label.
10. Training
All cantons offer an introductory course for farmers co n verting to organic agriculture . These courses in compliance with the private Bio Suisse standards, which require a minimum of two days of training for the initial certification. In addition to the courses o f fered by the official advisory services, the private Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL and the different regional organic farmers’ associations offer many courses and hold meetings.
Modules on organic farming for apprentices are offered by many agricultural schools to meet the rising demand for apprenticeships in organic farming, FiBL
and a group of teachers and trainers have developed a curriculum for
the profession("organic farmer")
a nd in 2004 an organic school was set up (with funding from the Supermarket chain Coop). FiBL provides a list of farms that offer apprenticeships .
A very innovative four-year apprenticeship programme for bio-dynamic
farmers has been in existence for many years. The courses and practical
training take place on bio-dynamic farms.
At the Technical University of Zurich (ETH), the Department of Agricultural
Science offers a specialised agro-ecology programme for agronomists
which comprises organic farming methods. A similar programme is offered
by the Swiss College of Agriculture (SHL) at Zollikofen.
11. Advisory Services
The state advisory services of each canton offer technical advice for
farmers. A list
of all organic advisors is available at the FiBL website. The state
advisory services focus on technical support during the conversion period
as well as on micro-economics (subsidies etc.).
 Complementing
the state services, FiBL
offers a wide range of specialised technical support in areas such
as: animal health, horticultural crops, viticulture and wine making,
poultry production and free-range cattle fattening.
 The
monthly journal bio aktuell (in German)
or "bio actualités" (in French) is published by
FiBL and Bio
Suisse.
Many technical leaflets (both black and white and in colour)
covering all aspects of organic production are issued regularly by FiBL
in German and French. All material is available at the FiBL shop..
An advisory service for organic gardeners is available from the bioterra
association. They also offer many courses in gardening and horticulture.
12. Research
12.1 The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL
Since 1973, the Research Institute of
Organic Agriculture (FiBL) at Frick has been the centre of competence
in organic farming in Switzerland. FiBL employs a staff of 120 scientists
and technicians in the areas of research and advice.
 FiBL is a leading information and documentation
centre for organic agriculture. The close links between different fields
of research and the rapid transfer of knowledge from research to advisory
work and agricultural practice are FiBL’s strengths. FIBL is also active in the field of international cooperation. It supports, for instance, the setting up of organic certification bodies (e.g. Indocert in India).
The German
sister-institute FiBL Germany was founded in 2001, FiBL Austria
in 2004. For more information on FiBL's activities and research programmes
see the FiBL homepage.
FiBL is actively supporting the development of international organic farming. It organised the 13 th IFOAM International Scientific Conference, which took place in Basel in August 2000. FiBL had also organised the first IFOAM scientific conference in 1977 in Sissach. Together with the International Society of Organic Far m ing Research ISOFAR it organised the scientific part) of the 15th IFOAM organic world congress in Adelaide , Australia in 2005 .
A view of the
Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL
12.2 Organic Farming Research Activities at other institutions
Applied agricultural research is also carried out by six federal research
stations (Agroscope). Some of their research activities involve organic
farming, especially the research programme of the, Swiss Federal Research
Station for Agroecology and Agriculture Agroscope (FAL) in Zurich-Reckenholz.
Applied agricultural research is also carried out by six the federal research stations ( Agroscope ) . Some of their research activities involve organic farming, especially the research programme of t he , Swiss Federal Research Station for Agroecology and Agriculture Agroscope (FAL) in Zurich-Reckenholz.
The foremost bio-dynamic research and training institution is the Agricultural Scientific Section of at the Goetheanum at in Dornach . The Arbeitsgruppe Forschung (AGF) co-ordinates all the individual bio-dynamic researchers in Switzerland . The cereal breeder Peter Kunz belongs to both AGF and Sativa.
 A detailed report about the current situation of Swiss organic farming research is available at the Core Organic webportal.
13. Challenges and Outlook
The development of organic farming has been fast but very sustainable in Switzerland. Three factors support this optimism:
The current agri-environmental policy with its ecological payments has encouraged farmers to convert. The state support has led to minor premiums for organic food, which is a very consumer-friendly situation.
The wide-spread use of the organic "Bio Suisse Bud" seal in supermarkets, specialised food shops and at local and farmers’ markets has strengthened the confidence of consumers in the quality and reliability of organic food.
14. Authors
Dr. Urs Niggli, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Ackerstrasse,
CH- 5070 Frick, phone +41-865-7272, fax +41 865 7273, website http://www.fibl.org
With updates from Dr. Helga Willer, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture
(FiBL), Ackerstrasse, CH- 5070 Frick, phone +41-865-7272, fax +41 865
7273, website http://www.fibl.org
Links
For links to the institutions named in the text please check the Organic
Europe address database.
1) General Information about Switzerland, Swiss agriculture and organic farming in Switzerland
2) Certification and Labelling, Standards, Laws
Reference
Rudmann, Christine und Willer, Helga, (Hrsg.) (2005) Jahrbuch Biolandbau Schweiz 2005 - Daten, Fakten, Hintergründe [Yearbook of organic agriculture in Switzerland 2005 - Statistics - Figures - Background]. Forschungsinstitut für biologischen Landbau (FiBL), 5070 Frick, Schweiz.
(c) By Forschungsinstitut für biologischen
Landbau (FiBL) 2007. All rights reserved
URL http://www.organic-europe.net
28.08.2007
Comments
 Research Institute of Organic
Agriculture FiBL
Ackerstrasse, CH-5070 Frick
Tel: +41-62-865 72 72 Fax:+41-62-865 72 73
Internet http://www.fibl.org
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