Organic Farming in Switzerland 2008 History ... - Organic-World.net

Switzerlandhttp://www.organic-europe.net/country_reports/switzerland/default.aspPage 1 of 1409.07.2009Home > Country Reports > SwitzerlandOrganic Farming in Switzerland 2008Urs Niggli, FiBL, with updates by Helga Willer, FiBLAlbaniaAustriaBelgiumCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkEstoniaFinlandFranceGermanyGreat BritainGreeceHungaryIcelandIrelandItalyLatviaLiechtensteinLuxemburgFYROMMacedoniaNetherlandsNorwayPolandPortugalSloveniaSlovakiaSpainSwedenSwitzerlandTurkeyUkraineOrganic Agriculturein Switzerland 2000(PDF)• History and Development of Organic Farming• Statistical Development• Regional Distribution of Organic Farms• Organic Farming Organisations• Standards and State Regulations• Certification Scheme• State Support• The Market• Training• Advisory Services• Research• Challenges and Outlook• Links/ReferenceHistory and Development of Organic Farming inSwitzerlandSwitzerland was undoubtedly the foremost pioneering country in organic farmingand has remained so until today in several areas.Pioneering Work of the Swiss Organic MovementBio-dynamic farmingBio-dynamic agriculture has a longhistory in Switzerland. The Sectionfor Agriculture at the Goetheanum(formerly a unit of the Section ofNatural Sciences) has a historygoing back to the 1930s. Adetailed description is available atits homepage.Research work was done here byEhrenfried Pfeiffer and Lilli Koliskoin the 1940s and 1950s, and untiltoday research activities are takingplace. Annually the internationalagricultural conference is held atthe Goetheanum in Dornach.The glasshouse at the Goetheanum, which holds theoffices of the agricultural section. (Picture from theHomepage of the Sektion für Landwirtschaft amGoetheanum)Until today there is a very active bio-dynamic farmers’ and consumers’movement which started in the 1930s. The "Demeter" label was registered in1954top

Switzerlandhttp://www.organic-europe.net/country_reports/switzerland/default.aspPage 2 of 1409.07.2009Organic farmingThe farmers’ movement initiated by Hans Müller became the nucleus of theorganic farming movement in the 1940s. Together with his wife Maria Müller andhis friend Hans Peter Rusch, a microbiologist, he became the founder of organicfarming in the German-speaking countries. In 1949, he used the term"organisch-biologischer Landbau" ("organic-biological farming") for the first time.topAlthough very impressed by what Sir Albert Howard wrote, Müller never metAlbert Howard nor Lady Eve Balfour. Until his death in 1988, the Möschbergnear Bern was the main training centre for organic farmers from Switzerland,Austria and Germany.Picture: The Moeschberg, Canton Bern, Switzerland. Today the Moeschberg is a hotel, offeringfacilities for seminars and courses (Photograph: Moeschberg)In 1946 Müller founded the AVG Galmiz (today BioGemüse AV-AG), the first co-operative tocommercialise organic products. He set up adelivery / mail-order service for organic vegetableand fruit boxes.topIn 1972 Otto Buess, director of the state agricultural school at Sissach,converted the school’s training farm into an organic holding.Further milestones of organic farming in Switzerland• There were already 500 to 1000 organic farms in the 1960s and 1970s.• In 1973 the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture / Forschungsinstitutfür biologischen Landbau (FiBL) was founded, which has since becomeone of the major organic farming research centres worldwide.• In 1977 FiBL organised the 1st International Scientific Conference"Towards Sustainable Agriculture" of the International Federation ofOrganic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM). In 2000 FiBL organised the13th IFOAM International Scientific Conference "The World GrowsOrganic"• FiBL hosted the General Secretariat of the International Federation ofOrganic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), from 1977 to 1980.• In 1980 Swiss organic farmers’ associations founded the umbrellaorganisation "Vereinigung Schweizer Biologischer Landbau-Organisationen" (VSBLO), now Bio Suisse and national private standardswere established. Farms and products were labelled with the common"Bio Suisse Bud" seal. Hartmut Vogtmann and Otto Schmid, who wereinvolved in that work in Switzerland, later influenced the standard settingprocess within IFOAM.• In 2000 FiBL organized the 13th IFOAM conference. It took place inBasel and had around 1500 participants.top

Switzerlandhttp://www.organic-europe.net/country_reports/switzerland/default.aspPage 5 of 1409.07.2009that all bud products are controlled and the rigorous quality requirements aremet.Independent inspection services as e.g. the bio.inspecta in Frick, regularlyinspect the farms and the trade and processing companies.Another producer organisation with about 200 membersis the association for bio-dynamic agriculture (DemeterSchweiz / Demeter Suisse), a branch of Bio Suisse.Important distribution channels for Demeter Suisseproducts are: direct marketing at local markets and onthe farms, natural food shops and small retailers. Producers belonging to thebio-dynamic association use the bud seal as well, because certification for theDemeter label includes the Bio Suisse standards.The Migros supermarket chain has introduced its own Migros Biolabel: Migros is not a producer organisation, but a retailer.Products marketed with the Migros "Bio" label are distributedmainly through Migros stores.topof WWF.For other and more specific labels, please check the internet siteStandards and State RegulationsThe Swiss Organic Farming Ordinance as put into force in 1998 following thelegislation in the European Union. Both Switzerland and the EU mutuallyrecognise each other’s certification schemes. Imports from EU countries orcountries on the third country list of the Swiss regulation must be accompaniedby a certificate from an inspection body from the respective country. Anindividual import licence is required for imports from other countries.At the internet site of the Federal Office of Agriculture BLW all documentsrelated to the Swiss Organic Farming Ordinance are available.When the Swiss Ordinance on organic farming came into force in 1998, organicfarming had already developed considerably on the basis of purely privatecertification. As early as 1980, all Swiss organic farming organisations hadagreed on common standards for organic farming, on the use of the common"Bio Suisse Bud" seal and on a common certification scheme.The bud seal may be used by certified producers for domestic and importedproducts which meet the Bio Suisse requirements Domestic products carry thename "Bio Suisse", imported products are labelled as "Bio" .topCertification SchemeThe Swiss Organic Farming Ordinance delegates the inspection of organic farmsand processors to private organisations, but requires a certification andinspection scheme in compliance with EN 45011. The Swiss Federal Office ofMetrology and Accreditation (METAS) is responsible for the accreditation ofinspection and certification bodies.In Switzerland the main certifiers for farms are bio.inspecta and BioTest Agro.For processors, the main certifiers are: bio.inspecta, IMO (Institut fürMarktökologie and SQS (Swiss Association for Quality and ManagementSystems). A regularly updated list of the Swiss certification bodies is availablefrom the FiBL homepage.Bio.inspecta was established in 1998 in order to setup a neutral, independent and credible auditing andcertification procedure for organic products. Today,

SwitzerlandPage 6 of 14bio.inspecta inspects and certifies more than 80%of all organic farms across Switzerland and as well as retailers/traders andprocessors of organic products.Bio Test Agro was founded in 1998. It has its seatin the canton of Berne .IMO (Institut für Marktökologie / Institute for Marketecology)inspects and certifies farms and processors in Switzerlandand worldwide. For more than 20 years, IMO has been activein the field of organic certification but it is also an expert inthe sectors of natural textiles, sustainable forestry, and socialaccountability monitoring.topState SupportSwiss law requires all agricultural subsidies to be contingent on minimumecological standards. This agro-environmental policy is based on a referendumfrom 1996.The minimum ecological standards (Ökologischer Leistungsnachweis ÖLN /prestations écologiques requises (PER) require:• Crop rotations with at least four crops;• Measures against soil erosion;• Equilibrium in the nutritional balance; and• High biodiversity on seven per cent of the agricultural area.In addition, Swiss farmers can choose from different special programmes, e.g.for the maintenance of extensive areas such as hedges and fallow land, andprogrammes for animal welfare.For the organic farming payments both the requirements of the ÖLN / PER andthose of the Swiss organic law must be met.topThe MarketThe Swiss organic market is over one billion Swiss Francs. On average theSwiss consumers spend 104 EUR on organic products annually. The sales oforganic products have been continually growing in the past years, and themarket share of organic products is now 4.6 percent.There has been speculationabout possible market saturation in Switzerland, but in 2007 there has beenmajor growth (see graph below).http://www.organic-europe.net/country_reports/switzerland/default.asp09.07.2009

Switzerlandhttp://www.organic-europe.net/country_reports/switzerland/default.aspPage 7 of 1409.07.2009topFigure: Growth of the Organic Market in Switzerland 1997 to 2007 inmillion Swiss francs .Source: COOP Switzerland at the COOP homepageDemand is highest for organic fresh products (meat, milk product, eggs,vegetables, fruit). For fresh products the market share is 7 %.Highest growthrates are achieved for cheese, cream, eggs and vegetables.About 75 percent of sales pass through two major retailers and 15 percentthrough specialist organic shops, with the remainder retailing either direct fromthe producers or through family butchers and bakery shops. The two leadingretail chains COOP and MIGROS follow different strategies in their organicassortments. While COOP continuously broadens the number of organic lines,MIGROS has slightly reduced its organic commitment. With the market entranceof the German discounter ALDI, COOP and Migros increased theircommunication efforts for their discount segments.topCoop Naturaplan sells a very wide range of organicproducts in all its supermarkets. Its label Naturaplan is notexclusively used for organic products; animal productscoming from animal friendly husbandry systems may alsocarry this label. Organic products are additionally labelledwith the Bio Suisse bud. Recently COOP launched a newdesign for the organic products. Information is available at the COOPhomepage.Migros is selling its organic products under the Migros BioEngagement label.TrainingAll cantons offer an introductory course for farmers co n verting to organicagriculture . These courses in compliance with the private Bio Suisse standards,which require a minimum of two days of training for the initial certification. Inaddition to the courses o f fered by the official advisory services, the privateResearch Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL and the different regional organicfarmers’ associations offer many courses and hold meetings.Modules on organic farming for apprentices are offered by many agriculturalschools to meet the rising demand for apprenticeships in organic farming, FiBLand a group of teachers and trainers have developed a curriculum for theprofession("organic farmer") a nd in 2004 an organic school was set up (withfunding from the Supermarket chain Coop). FiBL provides a list of farms thatoffer apprenticeships .top

Switzerlandhttp://www.organic-europe.net/country_reports/switzerland/default.aspPage 8 of 1409.07.2009A very innovative four-year apprenticeship programme for bio-dynamic farmershas been in existence for many years. The courses and practical training takeplace on bio-dynamic farms.At the Technical University of Zurich (ETH), the Department of AgriculturalScience offers a specialised agro-ecology programme for agronomists whichcomprises organic farming methods. A similar programme is offered by theSwiss College of Agriculture (SHL) at Zollikofen.Advisory ServicesThe state advisory services of each canton offer technical advice for farmers. Alist of all organic advisors is available at the FiBL website. The state advisoryservices focus on technical support during the conversion period as well as onmicro-economics (subsidies etc.).Complementing the state services, FiBL offers a wide range of specialisedtechnical support in areas such as: animal health, horticultural crops, viticultureand wine making, poultry production and free-range cattle fattening.The monthly journal bio aktuell (in German) or "bio actualités" (in French) ispublished by FiBL and Bio Suisse.In 2008, the first internet platform with technicalinformation for for Swiss organic farmers -www.bioaktuell.ch went online. It is available inGerman and French. The platform is maintained bythe Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBLand Bio Suisse, the Swiss organic producers'organisation, in cooperation with the Swiss cantons.Subject areas covered are: news, animal husbandry,crop production, market, training and advice, contacts.topMany technical leaflets (both black and white and in colour) covering all aspectsof organic production are issued regularly by FiBL in German and French. Allmaterial is available at the FiBL shop.An advisory service for organic gardeners is available from the bioterraassociation. They also offer many courses in gardening and horticulture.ResearchThe Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBLSince 1973, the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) at Frick hasbeen the centre of competence in organic farming in Switzerland. FiBL employsa staff of 120 scientists and technicians in the areas of research and advice.FiBL is a leading information and documentation centre fororganic agriculture. The close links between different fieldsof research and the rapid transfer of knowledge fromresearch to advisory work and agricultural practice areFiBL’s strengths. FIBL is also active in the field ofinternational cooperation. It supports, for instance, thesetting up of organic certification bodies (e.g. Indocert in India).topThe German sister-institute FiBL Germany was founded in 2001, FiBL Austria in2004. For more information on FiBL's activities and research programmes seethe FiBL homepage.FiBL is actively supporting the development ofinternational organic farming. It organised the 13th IFOAM International Scientific Conference,which took place in Basel in August 2000. FiBL

Switzerlandhttp://www.organic-europe.net/country_reports/switzerland/default.aspPage 9 of 1409.07.2009had also organised the first IFOAM scientificconference in 1977 in Sissach.Together with the International Society of Organic Farming Research ISOFAR itorganised the scientific part) of the 15th IFOAM organic world congress inAdelaide , Australia in 2005 .Organic farming research activities at other institutionsApplied agricultural research is also carried out by six federal research stations(Agroscope). Some of their research activities involve organic farming, especiallythe research programme of the, Swiss Federal Research Station forAgroecology and Agriculture Agroscope (FAL) in Zurich-Reckenholz.Applied agricultural research is also carried out by six the federal researchstations ( Agroscope ) . Some of their research activities involve organic farming,especially the research programme of t he , Swiss Federal Research Station forAgroecology and Agriculture Agroscope (FAL) in Zurich-Reckenholz.The foremost bio-dynamic research and training institution is the AgriculturalScientific Section of at the Goetheanum at in Dornach . The ArbeitsgruppeForschung (AGF) co-ordinates all the individual bio-dynamic researchers inSwitzerland . The cereal breeder Peter Kunz belongs to both AGF and Sativa.topA detailed report about thecurrent situation of Swissorganic farming research isavailable at the Core Organic webportal.Scientific Conference 2009The 10th Scientific Conference on OrganicAgriculture ‘Wissenschaftstagung’ will takeplace February 11-13, 2009, at the SwissFederal Institute of Technology ETH, Zürich. Itwill be organised by the Research Institute ofOrganic Agriculture FiBL, the Federal Researchstation Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon ART,the ETH and Foundation Ecology & Agriculture (Germany).It is substantially funded by the Swiss Agencies for Agriculture and theEnvironment and the COOP sustainability fund as well as numerous otherspnosors.• Conference Homepage www.wissenschaftstagung.chChallenges and OutlooktopThe development of organic farming has been fast but very sustainable inSwitzerland. Three factors support this optimism:The current agri-environmental policy with its ecological payments hasencouraged farmers to convert. The state support has led to minor premiums fororganic food, which is a very consumer-friendly situation.The wide-spread use of the organic "Bio Suisse Bud" seal in supermarkets,specialised food shops and at local and farmers’ markets has strengthened theconfidence of consumers in the quality and reliability of organic food.Authors

Switzerlandhttp://www.organic-europe.net/country_reports/switzerland/default.aspPage 10 of 1409.07.2009Dr. Urs Niggli, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Ackerstrasse,CH- 5070 Frick, phone +41-865-7272, fax +41 865 7273, websitehttp://www.fibl.orgWith updates from Dr. Helga Willer, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture(FiBL), Ackerstrasse, CH- 5070 Frick, phone +41-865-7272, fax +41 865 7273,website http://www.fibl.orgLinksFor links to the institutions named in the text please check the Organic Europeaddress database.top1) General Information about Switzerland, Swiss agriculture and organicfarming in Switzerland• WikipediaGeography of Switzerland• WikipediaThe Swiss Cantons• Federal Statistical Agency (Bundesamt für Statistik)Basic Figures on the primary sectorWichtigste Kennzahlen des PrimärsektorsLes principaux chiffres clés du secteur primaire• Swiss Federal Office of Agriculture BLWDocuments related to organic farming• Organic Eprints ArchivePublications about organic farming in Switzerland2) Certification and Labelling, Standards, LawsBio Suisse• Information in English on the bud• Bio Suisse Standards for Organic Production and further relevantdocumentsSwiss Federal Office for Agriculture BLW• Documents related to organic farming• List of Swiss certification bodiestopConfederatio Helvetica• Organic Farming OrdinanceOrdinance on Organic Farming and the Labelling ofOrganically Produced Products and Foodstuffs (non-official translation)-Verordnung vom 22. September 1997 über die biologischeLandwirtschaft und die Kennzeichnung biologisch produzierterErzeugnisse und Lebensmittel (Bio-Verordnung)Ordonnance du 22 septembre 1997 sur l’agriculture biologique et ladésignation des produits et des denrées alimentaires biologiques(Ordonnance sur l’agriculture biologique)• www.oekoregelungen.de by FiBLInformation about the Swiss regulations and standards (German)

Switzerlandhttp://www.organic-europe.net/country_reports/switzerland/default.aspPage 11 of 1409.07.2009(c) By Forschungsinstitut für biologischen Landbau (FiBL) 2007. All rights reservedURL http://www.organic-europe.net29.06.2009CommentsResearch Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBLAckerstrasse, CH-5070 FrickTel: +41-62-865 72 72 Fax:+41-62-865 72 73Internet http://www.fibl.orgtoptop

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