Agricultural policy (AP2011) Reform and the WTO: Potential Impacts on Swiss Agriculture

This article analyses the impact of the planned Swiss package of agricultural policy measures AP2011 and the tariff reductions scheduled as part of the WTO Doha Round, with special emphasis on effects in the dairy and meat sector. The simulations are carried out using an extended partial equilibrium model. This article discusses the anticipated impact of changing structural conditions on production, processing, consumption, prices and exports in the milk market. If account is taken of the Bilateral Agreements between Switzerland and the EU providing for liberalisation of the common cheese market, raw milk production increases by 10.5 %, whereas the milk price shows a significant drop to around 60 centimes per kilogram of milk. The abolition of subsidies will result in comparatively more milk being processed into high value-added products. All WTO scenarios have a negative impact on the dairy and meat market. The results reveal that Pork meat is sensitive to the tariff reduction formula under the WTO draft proposal.Partial equilibrium model, simulation, AP2011, WTO, dairy industry, Agricultural and Food Policy, International Relations/Trade, Livestock Production/Industries,

Could small dairy farms in Switzerland compete with their French counterparts? A metafrontier analysis during 1990-2004

The objective of the paper is to investigate whether Swiss farms specialised in dairy (the prevailing production of the country), which are small in international standards, would have a survival potential if they had to compete more directly with EU farms. More specifically, we investigate whether Swiss dairy farms would be able to compete with their French counterparts (located in mountainous areas, but larger than Swiss ones) in a future made of increased globalisation and reduced borders. For this we evaluate which country, during the period 1990-2004, would have been more able to use efficiently a common hypothetical technology, and would have had a more productive (own) technology. Efficiency scores and technology ratios are calculated using the concept of metafrontier and the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach. Results indicate that Swiss farms would have been slightly less efficient on average with respect to the common frontier, and that they had a less productive technology, the productivity gap with France being however only 5 percent. Regression results suggest that the efficiency differential and the productivity gap between Swiss farms and French farms were mainly due to larger Swiss farms with lower labour per livestock unit and higher proportion of family labour.technical efficiency, technology gap, Data Envelopment Analysis, dairy farming, Switzerland, France, Agricultural and Food Policy, Productivity Analysis, Q12, D24,

Wie beurteilen Landwirtschaftsschüler die Zukunft des Ökolandbaus?

A written standardized survey was conducted among 400 agricultural student in 9 Agricultural Swiss colleges in 2009 to investigate the attitudes, intentions and opinions towards organic farming. The result: Sympathies are against brought to the bio agriculture, but concerning the conversion there are still many reservations

Warum steigen Bergbetriebe aus dem Biolandbau aus?

Since 2005, the number of Swiss organic farms has been declining steadily contrary to the positive trend in demand. Between 2005 and 2009, 13 % of organic mountain farms were lost. In this context, we analyse the factors influencing a decision to opt out of mountain organic farming by using a written survey and logistic regression. The analysis shows that economic reasons (price of organic products, low direct payments), the time and effort of record-keeping and checks («Guidelines change too often») and problems obtaining suitable concentrated feed were the most commonly cited reasons for opting out. There is a high disposition towards opting out of organic farming, especially in the case of dairy farms. The regression analysis confirms the results of the survey

Welche Faktoren hemmen die Umstellung von Ackerbaubetrieben auf ökologischen Landbau?

Der biologische Landbau in der Schweiz verzeichnete vor allem im Zeitraum zwischen 1990 und 2005 ein grosses Wachstum und hat sich in der Landwirtschaft und bei den Konsumenten etabliert. Deutlich untervertreten sind die Biobetriebe jedoch in den Ackerbauregionen, was sicherlich auf die im Vergleich zum Grünland meist höheren Anforderungenrungen an die Betriebsumstellung zurückzuführen ist. Mit einer Umfrage unter rund 300 Bio- und ÖLN-Ackerbaubetrieben wurde untersucht, welche Gründe Landwirtinnen und Landwirte von einer Umstellung abhalten. Die grössten Befürchtungen sind der Unkrautdruck und der damit zusammenhängende höhere Arbeitsaufwand, die ungenügende Wirtschaftlichkeit durch zu geringe Zuschläge auf die Produktpreise, Probleme bei der Nährstoffversorgung und zu strenge oder häufig ändernde Richtlinien. Die Umfrageergebnisse der Bio-Ackerbaubetriebe zeigen, dass diese Befürchtungen nur teilweise berechtigt sind. Die Wirkungsweisen nachbarschaftlichen Austauschs bei der Ausdehnung des Biolandbaus sollten daher verstärkt gefördert werden

Wie effizient sind Bio-Milchbetriebe im Schweizer Berggebiet?

In Swiss mountain regions, the number of organic farms has increased considerably during the past few years. In this context, we analyse the technical efficiency of dairy farming. The analysis shows that both organic and non-organic farms harbour considerable potential for improvement in this area. In comparison to the frontier production functions, this potential is greater in the case of organic farms than in non-organic farms. Dairy Farms, which use this potential, can improve their economic situation

WHAT MATTERS FOR CONSUMERS OF ORGANIC WINE IN SWITZERLAND?

Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis,

K�nnen Produktionsentscheidungen als Investitionsentscheidungen modelliert werden?

Interviews with Swiss farmers lead to the hypotheses that production decisions, also in crop growing, are not made annually, but similarly to investment decisions in the long run. This hypothesis is backed by non-parametric time-series analysis for Switzerland and Germany. This creates a theoretical basis for combining Positive Mathematical Programming with flexibility constraints in optimization models. Results of the forecasting model SILAS show that forecasting quality is improved through this approach.Flexibility constraints, production decisions, optimization models, forecasting quality, Farm Management,

HOW CAN THE ENERGY USE IN SWISS AGRICULTURE BE ASSESSED IN ECONOMIC AND ECOLOGICAL TERMS?

Replaced with revised version of paper 12/05/07.Energie-Input, Einkommensmaximierung, Mehrzieloptimierung, Effizienz, Energy use, Income maximisation, Multi-objective programming, Efficiency, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,