XtraBlatt Issue 02-2017

MENSCHEN PRAXIS INTERNATIONAL
RUBRIK
Currently, around 21,000 dairy farmers in Switzerland produce a farm average of 160,000 kg milk.
THE SWISS MILK MARKET
The milk marketing and associated pricing system in Switzerland
is somewhat complicated. Because of this, we’ve asked Dr Roman
Engler, chief editor of the “Schweizer Landtechnik” magazine, for
a brief explanation:
Nowadays we have a milk sector
organisation (BOM) serving as
platform for all actors in the milk
market (producers, traders, processors).
However, this in most cases
fails when it comes to applying the
aims based on the variety of points
of view held by the individual members.
The target price is established
each month for milk in the individual
segments A, B and C. However,
as a rule, these targets (at least in
the lucrative segments) are never
reached.
Currently, around 21,000 dairy farmers
in Switzerland produce an
average 160,000 kg milk per farm
annually.
The produced milk totals just under
3.5 million t, marketed by
27 organisations at fundamentally
different prices. (industry
milk, cheese milk, organic milk).
Additionally, the produced milk is
divided into segments A, B and C.
A milk is destined for the inland
market and for milk products with
commodity price compensation. It
is protected from market effects
of imported products (border protection).
Milk in segment B is for
products without border protection
or commodity price compensation,
aimed for the inland market and
export into EU countries. In C segment,
the milk products are without
any subsidy and only for export outside
the EU. Around 90% of the milk
is in sector A.
The basic prices (April 2017) are:
A milk: 65 rappen (Rp)/kg; B milk:
46.8 Rp/kg; C milk: 26.3 Rp/kg. Current
average market prices achieved
in February 2017 were: A milk:
53.99 Rp/kg; B milk: 41.59 Rp/kg; C
milk: 28.06 Rp/kg.
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