Non-members must also pay for agricultural marketing
Due to low milk and cheese prices and a poor wine harvest, industry organizations both at home and abroad must step up their advertising efforts. The Federal Council is backing them by requiring even non-members to contribute to the costs.
The dairy and cheese industry in particular continues to be affected by the impact of low milk prices in the EU and the appreciation of the Swiss franc, the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG) announced on Wednesday. Intensive marketing is therefore necessary to publicize the benefits of Swiss products at home and abroad.
At the same time, non-members of the sector and producer organizations were less and less willing to participate in these self-help measures. Six associations have therefore approached the Federal Council to make the contributions to finance marketing binding for their non-members as well.
The Agriculture Act gives the government this option. However, the prerequisite is that the self-help measures are jeopardized if the non-members do not participate. The Federal Council considers this condition to be fulfilled.
It decided that producers who are not members of Swiss Milk Producers, GalloSuisse, Emmentaler Switzerland or Interprofession du Vacherin Fribourgeois must contribute financially to the marketing measures for four years. For non-members of the Swiss Farmers' Association and the Swiss Vine and Wine Association, this applies for two years. (SDA)
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