Swiss agriculture in 2016 consisted of 52,263 farms with an average area of 20.1 hectares. Farms vary in size and orientation across regions, with larger full-time farms in western Switzerland focusing on crops and cattle. The agricultural area and number of farms have been decreasing in recent decades. Crop production in 2015 was on 272,816 hectares growing cereals, potatoes, and barley. Cow numbers have been declining for 30 years despite increased milk production. Switzerland imports much of its feedingstuffs and food while exporting cheese, meat, chocolate, and other processed foods. Government expenditures support Swiss agriculture through subsidies totaling 3.6 billion Swiss francs in 2015, or 10% of the national budget.

1. Swiss Agriculture in Figures
Presentation
12.06.2017

2. 1. Structures

3. 2016: 52 263 farms with an average area of 20.1 hectares
Number of farms and area
1.1
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO)

4. West Switzerland
Large full-time farms with little
cattle
Mountain area
Smaller farms with many cattle
Agglomeration cantons
Medium size, rather little cattle,
more external activities
Uri, Ticino, Valais
Small farms, often external
activities
Farms - area - farm animals 2016
1.2
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO)

5. Farm orientation
1.3
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO)

6. Farms according to farm size
1.4
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO)

7. Surface according to farm size
1.5
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO)

8. Farms with farm animals
1.6
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO)

9. Average stocks and area
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO)
1.7
2015, the record date has been advanced from May to January.

10. Organic farms
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO)
1.8

11. Employees on farms
1.9
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO)

12. Employees of the sector
Source: Agristat
1.10
2015

13. 2. Plant production

14. Area of Switzerland
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO), Areastatistics 2004/2009
Total: 41‘285 km2
2.1

15. Shift of Swiss area
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO), Areastatistics 1992/1997 and 2004/2009
1997 to 2009: agricultural area decreased by 32 995 ha in 12 years
2.2

16. Shift of agriculture area
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO), Areastatistics 1992/1997 and 2004/2009
From 1992/1997 to 2004/2009
2.3

17. Agriculture area
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO)
2.4

18. Crop area
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO)
2015: 272 816 ha
2.5

19. Cereals area
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO)
2015: 144 149 ha
2.6

20. Potatoes
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO)
2.7
Farms and average area per farm

21. Barley
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO)
Farms and average area per farm
2.8

22. 3. Animal husbandry

23. Development of cow numbers
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO)
3.1
The cow stock has been declining for the last 30 years. The milk production
has been increasing for the same period. The productivity has been
considerably improved.

24. Slaughters
Source: Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO); Agristat
3.2

25. Pig cycle
Source: Agristat and SFU animal husbandry
3.3

26. Dairy producers and average production
Source: Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG) and TSM Treuhand GmbH
3.4

27. Milk quantity and milk producers
Source: TSM Treuhand GmbH, DB Milch
3.5

28. Milk quantity and price
Source: TSM Treuhand GmbH; Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG), market observation
3.6

29. Fishing yield
Source: Cantonal fisheries administartions
3.7
Total yield 2015: 1000 metric tons

30. 4. Means of production and environment

31. Origin of feeding stuff
86% of the feeding stuff (base DM) have been produced in Switzerland in 2014
Source: Agristat, Swiss Feed Balance (* provisional)
4.1

32. Imported feeding stuffs
4.2
Source: Agristat, Swiss Feed Balance (* provisional)

33. Domestic share of feedingstuffs
4.3
Source: Agristat, Swiss Feed Balance (* provisional)

34. Natural hazard and hail
Source: Swiss hail
4.4
Number of loss reports per year

35. 5. External trade

36. Agricultural external trade
Source: Swiss Customs Administration (SCA)
5.1
External trade indexes for foodstuffs, drinks and tobacco

37. Agricultural external trade
Chapter 1-24, sometimes
summarized, chapter
numbers in brackets.
Low involvement of
Swiss agriculture:
Agricultural external trade
of Switzerland
≠
Swiss agriculture
Source: Swiss Customs Administration (SCA), provisional data 2015
2016
Imports:
Exports:
Balance:
5.2
11,9 billion CHF
8,7 billion CHF
3,1 billion CHF

38. Source: Swiss Customs Administration (SCA)
5.3
Agricultural external trade

39. Source: Swiss Customs Administration (SCA)
5.4
External trade with cheese

40. Source: Swiss Customs Administration (SCA)
5.5
External trade with cheese
Quantities cumulated according to the price

41. Imports of poultry
Source: Swiss Customs Administration (SCA)
5.6

42. Imports of tropical fruits
Source: Swiss Customs Administration (SCA)
5.7

43. Export of Cheese per country
Source: Swiss Customs Administration (SCA)
5.8

44. Exports of meat
Source: Swiss Customs Administration (SCA)
5.9

45. Export of chocolate
Source: Swiss Customs Administration (SCA)
5.10

46. 6. Food

47. Food supply of Switzerland
Source: Agristat, Swiss Food Balance (* provisional)
6.1

48. Consumption of food energy
6.2
Source: Agristat, Swiss Food Balance (* provisional)

49. Domestic production versus consumption
6.3
Source: Agristat, Swiss Food Balance (* provisional), ** estimate)

50. Food made from plants
6.4
Source: Agristat, Swiss Food Balance (* provisional)
Vegetable foods provide about 70% of the food energy.
Consumption of vegetable food energy per person and day

51. Food made from animals
6.5
Source: Agristat, Swiss Food Balance (* provisional)
Consumption of food energy per person and day

52. Domestic production
6.6
Source: Agristat, Swiss Food Balance (* provisional)

53. Domestic production
6.7
Source: Agristat, Swiss Food Balance (* provisional)

54. Domestic production
6.8
Source: Agristat, Swiss Food Balance (* provisional)

55. Cereal consumption in Switzerland
6.9
Source: Agristat, Swiss Food Balance
Average 2013-2015: 91 kg cereals per person and year

56. Value-added chain
6.10
Source: Agristat (* provisional)

57. Household expenditures 2013
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO), Budget expenditures
6.11
In percent of gross income (2013 = 10 052 CHF)
Total = 103,4 (gross income + sporadic income)

58. 7. Prices, wages

59. Development of price indexes
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO), Agristat
7.1

60. Prices of piglets and fattened pigs
SBV: Agristat and SFU animal husbandry
7.2

61. Milk price
Source: Federal Office for Agriculture FOAG), market observation
7.3

62. Farm milk price and inflation
7.4
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO), : Federal Office for Agriculture FOAG), statistisches Handbuch der Schweizer
Landwirtschaft (Hans Brugger), Agristat , Milchstatistik der Schweiz

63. Salaries on farms 2014
Source: Agristat, Salaries of non-family agricultural employees (Löhne familienfremder landwirtschaftlicher Angestellter)
Average , confidence interval, interquartile
7.5
1 Trainee (students)
2 Trainee from abroad
3 Temporary jobs
4 Short-term employees
5 Semiskilled employees
6 Professionals
7 Section leader
8 Farm manager

64. 8. Public provisions

65. Public expenditures
Source: Swiss Federal Finance Administration (FFA)
8.1
Expenditures (Confederation, cantons, municipalities) total and for agriculture

66. Expenditures of the Confederation
Source: Swiss Federal Finance Administration (FFA)
8.2
Expenditures: total as well as for agriculture and food
2015b and 2016b: data according to the budget

67. Subventions by the Confederation 2015
Source: Swiss Federal Finance Administration (FFA)
8.3
From 36.4 Billions CHF, 3,6 Billions CHF or 10,0 % are spent for agriculture.
Responsible for agriculture is the Confederation: The expenditures of the cantons and
municipality are low for the agriculture.

68. Subventions by the Conf. for agriculture
Source: Swiss Federal Finance Administration (FFA)
8.4

69. 9. Accounting results

70. Income
Source: Research institute Agroscope ART Tänikon, central evaluation of accounting data
9.1

71. Earned income and comparative salary
9.2
Source: Research institute Agroscope ART Tänikon, central evaluation of accounting data

72. 10. National accounting

73. Gross value added at basic prices
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO)
10.1
2015 (estimate): 10,1 billions of CHF

74. Gross value - details
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO)
10.2
2015 (estimate): 10,1 billions of CHF

75. Means of production
Productionvalue
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO), sd semi-definitive, * provisional, ** estimate
10.3

76. Means of production
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO), sd semi-definitive, * provisional, ** estimate
10.4

77. Production value to net value-added
Productionvalue
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO), sd semi-definitive, * provisional, ** estimate
10.5
Production value 2015 (estimate): 10,1 billions of CHF

78. Factor income
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO), sd semi-definitive, * provisional ** estimate
10.6
2015 (estimate): 4,6 billions of CHF factor income
Factorincome

79. Factor income to earnings
Factorincome
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO), sd semi-definitive, * provisional, ** estimate
10.7
2015 (estimate): 2,86 Billions of CHF net farm income
= Earnings of family workers

80. Productivity per canton
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO), regional agricultural accounts
10.8

81. 11. Education

82. FD of Vocational Education and Training
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO)
11.1
Year 2015: 1174 Federal Diploma of VET, therefrom 1034 for farmers

83. Federal Diploma of Higher Education
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO)
11.2
2015: 102 Federal Diploma of Higher Education, therefrom 88 farmers

84. Advanced FD of Higher Education
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO)
11.3
Year 2015: 95 Advanced Federal Diploma of HE, therefrom 90 for farmers

85. 12. International comparisons

86. Farm structures in Europe 2010
Source: EUROSTAT
12.1

87. Price level indexes 2015
Source: EUROSTAT, provisional results
12.2

88. Price level indexes 2015
Source: EUROSTAT, provisional results
12.3

89. Agricultural support
Source: OECD, Total Support Estimate
12.4
By taxpayers and consumers, in percent of gross domestic product