Switzerland’s government is stepping up support for forestry and agriculture, two sectors hit particularly hard by drought and extreme heat. On Wednesday the Federal Council approved CHF 17.5m for forests and CHF 54m for farms.
Switzerland is enduring an exceptional drought. Never before has the country recorded so little rainfall by mid-August, Albert Rösti, the environment minister, told reporters in Bern. The duration of the dry spell, he said, is putting pressure on vulnerable people, livestock, waterways, ecosystems, forests, farming, power generation and river transport.
The government is therefore taking short- and medium-term measures in forestry and agriculture, arguing that both sectors need more money quickly.
For forests, the Federal Council is asking Parliament to increase funding for climate adaptation by CHF 17.5m in 2027. From 2028 onwards, a similar amount could be made available each year.
Loans for farmers
Support for farms will rise by CHF 54m this year. The money will take the form of interest-free loans, rather than grants or direct subsidies, and is intended to help farmers cover income losses. Christian Hofer, head of the Federal Office for Agriculture, pointed to higher feed costs, extra work in the fields and lower yields. Output of crops such as potatoes and sugar beet is down by 20-25%, he said.
Milk production is also falling. At the same time, some farms have had to slaughter more livestock because of feed shortages. Supplies are scarce both in Switzerland and abroad. Slaughterings doubled in July, putting further downward pressure on meat prices.
Mr Rösti cautioned that the loans were no panacea. They would improve liquidity for the hardest-hit farmers, he told the radio programme Forum, but would have to be repaid.
He also acknowledged that some farms might not survive for economic reasons. The number of farms and farmers falls every year, regardless of heatwaves, he said. Farms are businesses and must bear some risks themselves: some years bring higher revenues, others, like this one, do not. Ultimately, he argued, the market would determine the outcome.
Swiss farms are unusually small by European standards, a legacy of the country’s mountainous terrain, fragmented land ownership and agricultural policy. That makes many holdings expensive to run: machinery, buildings and labour costs are spread over relatively few hectares or animals, limiting economies of scale. Generous subsidies help preserve farming in difficult regions, but they also sustain a structure in which many farms would struggle to compete on cost alone.
No emergency
Mr Rösti and the heads of the federal offices for agriculture, the environment and national economic supply also defended the measures already taken, as well as those still being prepared. The federal government has taken the situation very seriously from the outset, Mr Rösti said. The government is acting within existing structures and, in his view, the current legal framework is sufficient. There is therefore no need to declare an emergency. Cantons and municipalities, he added, also have responsibilities.
Rösti rejects criticism
Mr Rösti has come under growing political pressure over the government’s handling of the heat and drought. The Greens have called for a new state secretariat for climate protection, while Lisa Mazzone, the party’s president, has said the environment portfolio should be taken away from him.
Mr Rösti told RTS that he did not feel under pressure. Being criticised was part of political life, he said, particularly a year before elections. He insisted that his department was responding effectively and working to protect the population. He also rejected calls for an administrative shake-up, saying that co-operation between federal departments was close and functioning well.
Parliament is expected to debate the heatwave and drought during its autumn session. The Socialist, Green and Green Liberal parties have said they want an extraordinary debate on the issue.
The federal government will decide by October whether further measures are needed to help Switzerland adapt to heat and drought. The review will cover public health, animal welfare, nationwide heat maps and further agricultural measures.
Mr Rösti said, however, that many of these issues should primarily be handled by cantons and municipalities. The federal government could still provide support, including through possible subsidies for improvements that protect buildings from extreme heat.
Switzerland’s oversized livestock sector makes its farming system more vulnerable to drought. Much of the country’s agricultural land is already devoted to producing animal feed, yet farmers still rely heavily on imported grain and protein feed to sustain current herd sizes. In a normal year that dependence is manageable; during a heatwave, when pastures dry out and domestic fodder yields collapse, it becomes a liability.
Switzerland is also poorly equipped to keep people cool. Air conditioning remains rare in homes. Estimates suggest that fewer than one in ten homes has fixed air conditioning.
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RTS article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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