Support for Swiss sugar beets in committee

Swiss sugar beet production must be supported in the long term. A National commission approved two cantonal initiatives in this direction. A bill will be drawn up within two years (photo Agri). Currently, temporary measures to support the production of Swiss sugar are in force: minimum customs protection and increase in federal contributions to the cultivation of sugar beets. These measures, taken following the liberalization of the EU sugar market in 2017 and pressure on prices, will expire at the end of 2026. These measures must be sustained to provide security to the sector and allow Switzerland to be prepared in the event that the self-sufficiency rate suddenly falls, call for the initiatives of the cantons of Bern and Thurgau. The aim is that the self-sufficiency rate remains at the current level of around 70%. Without long-term support, Swiss sugar beet production, more ecological than foreign production according to its supporters, would continue to decline. The two sugar ...