The risk of suicide for farmers in the Switzerland is 37 percent above the average population. This is a national Fund-study of 2018 shows.
CVP national councillor Markus Ritter (53), President of the Swiss farmers ‘ Association, explains: “The high suicide rate among the farmers is closely related with the financial pressure on the profession.”
For the pressure to be responsible retailers, particularly Migros and Coop are. They make up 70 percent of sales in the national grocery market. “This market power allows you to press the farmers for their products prices paid down,” Mathias Binswanger (57) found out.
the raw materials as the Basis of
, a Professor Of Economics at the University of applied Sciences North-Western Switzerland goes even further: “they dictate to the farmers what kind of Products they want.” In General, there are raw materials such as wheat, beef or raw milk as a base for many finished products in the shopping shelves. With a lot of money to be made otherwise than by the raw materials from the farm: the prices of Which have declined since 1990 by about 30%, of which the consumers have nothing, because the food prices at the supermarket increased in the same period by 15 percent.
Only: Where is the money? “The processors and retailers,” says Binswanger, and refers to Numbers of Deekeling Arndt Advisors. The consulting firm has calculated the gross margins for the wholesale distributor, the difference between revenue and material usage. In the case of Migros it is about 40 Coop, 30, in the international average at 20 percent.
The high-Migros-margin has to do with the orange giant is stronger than other traders as a processor.
High margin food
Both big stress distribution, they continue to give the raw material price reductions to the clientele. For detail trade expert Ralf Beyeler (42) from the online comparison service Money, however, is clear: “Migros and Coop benefit at the expense of farmers and consumers.” Especially in the case of organic products, the margin of the food retailers is extremely high. “In comparison to conventionally produced meat, the farmers get at the Meat of two francs per Kilo. But in the Store, Consumers paid about 30 francs for it.”
Thomas Roffler (49) is the President of the Grisons farmers ‘ Association. On his farm in the village of Grüsch he and livestock holds 50 Brown-animals. He says: “The product prices are cost-covering. The value added of the farmer is no longer true.” In 1970, 55 percent of the amounts paid in Switzerland for food went to farmers. Today, there are still 15 percent of.
“are The farmers in the agricultural treadmill,” says Mathias Binswanger. In his new book, “More well-to-trade” due to less agricultural free the Economist comes to the conclusion: “After the deduction of all expenditure and no income for the farmers left. Their Survival itself is at the existing border protection only thanks to the subsidies.”
farmers give more money out of
In Switzerland per year, a total of three billion Swiss francs. However, rich farmers will not be in order. “The subsidies go to a not insignificant part of the agriculture and downstream industries,” says Binswanger. So, the farmers give more and more money for machinery, feed and seed funds to increase the productivity. “Of major retailers such as Migros and Coop in the Form of lower cost – at the expense of the taxpayers who Fund the subsidies to the farmers, in turn, profit.”
The retail sector contradicts. “This is not correct,” says Coop. And Migros, explains: “The agriculture receives taxpayer-funded direct payments for their services such as the promotion of biodiversity, animal welfare and the protection of the landscape. This can not be passed on to the consumer.”
The economic expert Binswanger identified mechanism was not, however, dismiss them out of Hand, says Bauer, President of knight: “Migros and Coop benefit from the tax-payers in the area of income effective direct payments, i.e. about half of all direct payments.”
demand side, rarely in the sights
If on the supply side, large market power clenches, state instances quickly. The show spectacular case against Internet giants such as Google. Market powerful companies on the demand side are advised, however, are rarely targeted.
the competition Commission is presenting each year a number of sanctions against the illegal price-fixing. Oversized market power in detail, but you never hear from.
Why is that? “The market dominance of the major distributors is complex and the abuse is well hidden,” said lawyer Felix Schraner (44), lecturer in competition law at the ZHAW. “They often take over the entire sales chain of influence, and the producers are often structurally and financially dependent on you.”
starting points to examine, there are undoubtedly. “But there is, as yet, only a few cases and Decisions in this area.”
demand is a problem, if income is down
For Markus Ritter is clear: “Decrease the income of the farmers, we have a succession problem.” 80 years ago, Switzerland was one of 250’000 farms. Today there are 50’000. Knight: “12’000 managers over 50 years, currently say that your yard does not have a replacement available. This is an alarming development.”
there were for the preservation of the agriculture good reasons, says Economist Binswanger. “In addition to the actual security of supply, it is the multi-functional benefits for the farmers, who fall into the weight. This includes the maintenance of the cultural landscape and the maintenance of biodiversity, for example.”
But how do the farmers get out of the rat race? Retail expert Beyeler: “Today, the big distribution to do with organic produce the big Profit. Why not sell the farmers their organic Meat yourself?” The Bauer Roffler is: “agriculture needs to re-search the route to the consumer, especially in the label area.”
Almost no direct marketing
Kilian Baumann (39) has done just that. The Bern Green-national Council to put his organic farm on beef direct marketing. “So I’m not dependent on the major distributors. I can set my own prices fixed.” But Baumann is one of the minority: In Switzerland, the farmers receive only five percent of the value of goods through direct marketing. “That will not change so quickly,” says Rolf Hug (45), head of estate of the agricultural education center Plantahof in the Chur Rhine valley.
“The agricultural primary production is labor-intensive. Not every farmer has the capacity to take care of professional processing and marketing.”
