Swiss Review 3/2020

Swiss Review / June 2020 / No.3 18 Report shortage of young people to take over. Few want to become butchers these days. More cattle than anywhere else Nevertheless, it is no coincidence that two butchers and a small abattoir in Escholzmatt andMarbach are holding their own. Encompassing around 100 square kilometres in the heart of the EntlebuchUNESCObiosphere reserve, the municipality of Escholzmatt-Mar- bach boasts the largest cattle popula- tion in Switzerland. It is home to some 7,821 cud-chewing bovines, spread across the numerous farms of both vil- lages whose combined human popu- lation totals 4,450. One third of the municipality’s in- habitants earn a living from agricul- ture. They include the Duss family, who live on a farmnestled on the edge of Escholzmatt between two distinc- tive hills. Cows graze effortlessly on the steep surrounding slopes. Arable farming is nigh-on impossible. Part-time farming the rule Franziska Duss stands in front of the cow pen situated behind her family house. One of the cows pokes its head inquisitively over the perimeter fence. The animals still have names, not numbers. “This is Adèle, our oldest,” says Duss. Forty-four cows and calves of the Brown Swiss breed belong on the farm. Duss, a qualified agronomist, works as an agricultural consultant and a teacher. She also runs the farm that she took over from her father. “I am typical of many farmers in and around this area,” she says. “Most of us run our farms as a secondary source of income.” TheDuss family not only live from the proceeds ofmeat production, they also make money fromdairy farming – and strawberries, to which two huge polytunnels are testament. “I want to make the most of my farm, so diversi- fication is vital,” says Duss. She thinks that diversity of production makes sense for all farms. According to a gov- ernment research report, farms spe- cialising in just one area of agriculture are indeed a rarity in Switzerland. Cultured meat and meat alternatives Is versatility also important because one particular sector could potentially shrink, i.e. meat production? Yes, if you believe what global management consulting firm A.T. Kearney say in their study entitled “How will Cul- turedMeat andMeat Alternatives dis- rupt the Agricultural and Food Indus- try?” Conventional animal meat will only account for 40 per cent of global meat production by 2040, the study claims. Although the authors expect the global meat market as a whole to continue growing, they say that new products such as plant-based meat al- ternatives will increasingly disrupt the conventional meat industry in future. However, Duss – along with or- ganic farmers Beat Koch and Beat Butcher Patrick Zihl- mann knows all his cattle dealers per- sonally. And farmer Franziska Duss, pic- tured here with cow Adèle, knows the name of each of her animals. Photos: Danielle Liniger