Swiss Review 3/2020

Swiss Review / June 2020 / No.3 19 replacement industry is experiencing massive growth, but we are talking significantly smaller volumes com- pared to the amount of money the meat sector makes.” Around 14 per cent of the Swiss population are vegetarian or vegan – a figure that has risen sharply in recent years, according to a survey by the Swiss vegetarian and vegan associa- tion Swissveg. However, Heine be- Krummenacher, who have just ar- rived at her farm– see no threat in the growingmarket formeat alternatives. “Many consumers eat less meat than they did a few years ago,” says Duss. “But qualitymatters to themwhen they do eat meat.” Duss, Koch and Krum- menacher see their biggest source of competition not in meat alternatives but in cheaply produced meat from other countries. “Many people are Meat alternatives lack this attribute in more ways than one, given that their plant-based ingredients are com- monly sourced outside Switzerland. Heine believes that producing pro- tein-rich, plant-based meat alterna- tives in Switzerland – and also grow- ing the necessary ingredients in Switzerland – would theoretically be possible. But this prospect is a long way off. According to the Swiss centre The undulating pas- tures in and around Escholzmatt (canton of Lucerne) are un- suitable for arable farming. But cows are at home on the steep terrain. Photo: Danielle Liniger lieves that the proportion of consum- ers who eat meat occasionally but selectively based on ethical and green criteria is growing at a much faster pace. The importance of good food The three farmers sit together at a long table outside in the yard. Franziska and family serve their guests tea, cof- fee and home-made cake. “People generally are more careful about what they eat nowadays,” says Duss. This is becoming evident in what they buy. “Swissness” is an im- portant criterion formany consumers, says Heine – the very ethos to which the butchers of Escholzmatt and Mar- bach subscribe. of excellence for agricultural research, Agroscope, Swiss farmers currently produce less than one per cent of the country’s annual soybean require- ment of 300,000 metric tons. Be that as it may, the farmers of Escholzmatt-Marbach will not be growing soya or other protein-rich plants any time soon. “People will al- ways want to eat meat – of that I am absolutely certain,” says Duss. Col- league Beat Koch: “There is a future for meat producers like us if we respect animal welfare and take our social responsibility seriously.” The farmers get up to leave. It is al- most evening, and they need to check on their cattle. willing to paymore formeat produced locally or organically,” says Krumme- nacher. “But not everyone can afford to. Our biggest challenge therefore comes from imported meat, which costs significantly less.” Vegetarians and vegans account for 14 per cent Meat consumption levels in Switzer- land are relatively stable. According to the Swiss meat industry association Proviande, the annual per capita fig- ure is 51 kg. Meat replacement prod- ucts will not supplant conventional meat, says Daniel Heine, professor at the School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences – part of the Berne Uni- versity of Applied Sciences. “Themeat Reproduced with the consent of swisstopo (BA200078)