Like everywhere else, there is now a crisis in Swiss agriculture. Traditional small-holdings are no longer profitable or even viable
Farms with a surface of more than 20 hectares have bucked this trend, though, with their numbers increasing. Swiss farmers need CHF2.5 billion in direct payments or state subsidies every year, whether or not they face competition. Some estimates suggest that supporting farming costs the Swiss taxpayer CHF4 billion annually.
Direct payments have the advantage of not simply rewarding overproduction. They can selectively promote sectors of farming working in line with Swiss agricultural policy, for instance, organic farming. Nowadays over 12% of cultivated soil is farmed according to strict organic requirements. Sig Jaastad.