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Swiss President Launches Campaign Against Ambitious Food Initiative
🇨🇭 Switzerland /Elections & Politics

Swiss President Launches Campaign Against Ambitious Food Initiative

From Le Temps · () French

Translated from French, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Swiss President Guy Parmelin launched a campaign against the "For Safe Food" initiative, set for a September 27th vote.
  • Parmelin argues the initiative's goal of increasing self-sufficiency by half in ten years, primarily through plant-based production, is too ambitious and rapid.
  • The Federal Council believes the initiative would significantly reduce meat and egg consumption, infringing on consumer freedom and potentially rendering agricultural investments obsolete.

Swiss President Guy Parmelin has officially kicked off the campaign against the "For Safe Food" initiative, which Swiss citizens will vote on September 27. Parmelin stated that the Federal Council opposes the initiative because its goals are overly ambitious and its timeline too compressed.

I am lucky to like fruits and vegetables and my wife makes sure I eat them regularly. That doesn't stop me from also eating a good St. Gallen sausage or a good piece of meat. Citizens are aware enough to balance their diet.

— Guy ParmelinParmelin used his personal eating habits to illustrate his point about consumer choice and dietary balance.

The initiative aims to increase Switzerland's food self-sufficiency by 50% within a decade, with a strong emphasis on plant-based production. Parmelin explained that adopting the initiative would necessitate a substantial reduction in meat and egg consumption, requiring significant government intervention in citizens' dietary choices. He described such restrictions on freedom of choice as "neither desirable nor, above all, proportionate."

Parmelin shared his personal habits, noting his enjoyment of fruits and vegetables, often prepared by his wife, but emphasized that this does not prevent him from also enjoying traditional Swiss foods like sausages or meat. He believes citizens are capable of balancing their diets themselves. Furthermore, he warned that such a rapid transformation, as proposed within ten years, could lead to agricultural investments becoming obsolete before they can be recouped, as some investments require 20 to 30 years to amortize.

We remain a country of hills and alpine pastures. The best animals for utilizing these regions remain ruminants. It is neither you nor I who will...

— Guy ParmelinParmelin discussed Switzerland's landscape and its suitability for traditional livestock farming.

The Federal Council suggests that the legitimate concerns behind the initiative can be addressed through a more gradual and pragmatic approach. Parmelin pointed to the "Agricultural Policy 2030" as a more realistic path, which allows farmers adequate time to adapt. This policy, he noted, considers economic, social, and regional realities and encompasses the entire food chain, from production to consumption, including environmental protection and biodiversity.

It takes into account the economic, social and regional realities of our country.

— Guy ParmelinParmelin described the benefits of the Agricultural Policy 2030.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Le Temps in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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