In Bern, the agricultural lobby is under pressure

During the legislature, which ends this autumn, the Swiss Farmers’ Union (SBV) was able to assert itself on a number of important points; such as the pre-emptive shooting of wolves. However, the agriculture representatives won some votes with unusually close results.

And other templates were flatly crushed. Most recently, the National Council rejected a slew of proposals submitted by agricultural groups. For example, the obligation to use at least 3.5 percent of arable land as fallow land was maintained, which benefits biodiversity.

In the end, only one of the six motions was passed by a vote of 93 against 90 and 7 abstentions. It was the request of the Freiburg FDP state councilor Johanna Gapany (34), which aimed to reduce nutrient losses by 20 percent by 2030.

Sustainable versus conventional

All these controversial voices show that tensions are growing between supporters of sustainable agriculture and supporters of conventional agriculture. Whenever the SBV failed to convince, it gritted its teeth against the traditional SP and Green Bloc, which was supported by the Green Liberals and some dissenters from the FDP and even the centre.

Is there a weakening farmer’s lobby in Bern? When asked, the SBV admits that agriculture has fewer representatives in parliament than before. However, the union rejects the term ‘farmer lobby’.

GLP makes “contradictory” policies

“It is a term that environmental organizations created a few years ago in a smear campaign,” says spokeswoman Sandra Helfenstein (50). “The left-green circles create a mood by denying the many positive achievements and developments in agriculture.” The SBV behaves like any other interest group. “Our representatives in Bern are committed to all farming families and to a safe supply.”

When asked about a possible threat from the GLP to the agricultural lobby, Helfenstein described the party’s policies as “contradictory”. “On the one hand they raise the bar for our agriculture, on the other hand they are committed to more free trade without worrying about the production conditions of the food.”

Farmers supported by the people

Swiss agriculture always moves in harmony with the consumer. “People have largely supported farmers in the last three initiatives that hit the sector – namely the two anti-pesticide texts in 2021 and the factory farming initiative in 2022,” says Helfenstein.

“The main task of agriculture, both organic and conventional, is to produce food to feed the local population,” says Markus Ritter (55), chairman of the SBV and member of the Central Lands Council. “We farmers must be able to live from our production.”

Agriculture lobby “on the defensive”

For Marcel Liner, responsible for agricultural policy at Pro Natura, the agricultural lobby is clearly “on the defensive”. «15 years ago we fought against the SBV and the Bundesrat. The balance of power has changed in the past six to seven years: we are fighting against the systematic blockade by the SBV of the Bundesrat’s proposals,’ he explains.

«The SBV, whose board is strongly dominated by the SVP, stands up for the agri-food sector, which is based on intensive agriculture. I assume its chairman Markus Ritter is under a lot of pressure from this environment », although he is an organic farmer himself. Liner also thinks that the exchange with the SBV has become much more tense.

SBV needs offspring

The Bernese Green National Council Kilian Baumann (42), president of the Association of Small Farmers, does not feel supported by the SBV at all: “I represent a minority of farmers who have recognized a climate and biodiversity crisis”.

The coming generation change is also an underexposed problem, according to him. “Hardly anyone in parliament cares about the deaths of small businesses,” de Berner laments. In the next 15 years, half of the company leaders will retire.

It now remains to be seen whether the SBV will succeed in finding young talent who can restore the dialogue between these two wings. Several heavyweights such as the Freiburg FDP National Councilor Jacques Bourgeois (64), the Vaud SVP National Councilor Jean-Pierre Grin (75) or the Bernese SVP National Councilor Andreas Aebi (64) are about to jump. (SDA/bgs)

Source:Blick