US tariffs have led to a milk glut in Switzerland

shift by the Donald Trump administration. Combined with other tariffs and the depreciation of the US dollar, this has raised the effective tax rate on Swiss imports to more than 50%. Swiss cheese prices in the US market have risen sharply, from $15-50 to $20-70 per pound. As a result, Swiss farmers are facing a domestic milk glut, caused by both the new tariff and an unusually rainy spring that has produced record milk yields from the country’s 550,000 cows. In response, cheesemakers are set to cut production by 5%, while IP Lait, the dairy sector’s representative body, has proposed a 50,000-tonne cut in annual milk production – roughly equivalent to the output of 25,000 cows. The quickest way to achieve this is to cull cows early, which has caused considerable concern among Swiss farmers. Farmer Boris Beuret, president of the Swissmilk association, has already sent three of his cows to slaughter to reduce the milk surplus. While reluctant to reduce herds due to possible future ...