Despite increasing professionalization, the hourly wage for milk producers remains inadequate. They are urgently dependent on a milk market and agricultural policy that allow for adequate income, improve quality of life, and recognize their professional achievements. The comparative wage in valley areas is CHF 42.00 per working hour. This large disparity is alarming. Given the decline in milk prices since 2024 and the simultaneous increase in production costs, the income situation is likely to have further deteriorated.
The income is clearly insufficient and does not provide milk production operations with adequate long-term prospects. Therefore, the Swiss Milk Producers Association (SMP) is committed to improvements in the market and agricultural policy framework. Ongoing efforts within the industry must contribute to better aligning milk quantities with processing capacities and sales opportunities. Furthermore, challenges due to increasing imports must be addressed, planning certainty increased, and reliable contractual frameworks established. The goal must be milk prices that consider the performances and costs of producers.
Agroscope's analyses also show that approximately 23 percent of market revenue is achieved through livestock sales. It is all the more important to keep these revenues at a sustainable level. Simultaneously, around 21 percent of the total revenue of the examined operations comes from direct payments. The SMP expects political framework conditions that offer milk production on Swiss grassland a stronger economic perspective again. Federal financial resources for agriculture must be deployed in a targeted manner for this purpose. Also, border protection needs to be further developed considering the changed exchange rate situation. From SMP's perspective, this includes an adjustment of the cheese subsidy.
Investments in operations must be cautiously calculated. Whenever possible, measures to reduce costs should be implemented. Simultaneously, the federal government, label owners, and other stakeholders are urged to set higher requirements only where corresponding additional compensation is provided through the market or direct payments.
An economically viable milk production is in the joint interest of producers, processing, trade, and politics. The SMP is actively involved in ongoing discussions so that necessary improvements can be jointly and effectively implemented.
Christa Brügger, Head of Communication,
christa.bruegger@swissmilk.ch, 031 359 52 14
Thomas Reinhard, Projects and Support, thomas.reinhard@swissmilk.ch, 031 359 51 11