The farmer as a manager: contribution of labour economy to the farm management

Milk production is the most important production branch of Swiss agriculture. The liberalised cheese trade with the EU requires competitive dairy farms. Despite this, Swiss farms produce milk in a less economically viable way than comparable EU farms.

Product and quality differentiation in Swiss cheese markets enables higher and more stable raw milk prices. Protected Geographical Indications (GIs) such as the Swiss AOP (Appellation d'Origine Protégée), could further enhance milk prices, although their effectiveness depends on the strength of the GI label.

Does pesticide reduction reduce profitability and increase working time? Quite the reverse – Agroscope researchers showed that going pesticide-free can be an attractive proposition.