https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Switzerland in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed People in Switzerland are eating more and more eggs and domestic chickens can’t keep up with the demand. The Swiss government has been forced to act. https://www.thelocal.ch/20250430/how-switzerland-is-trying-to-crack-its-egg-shortage-this-spring Wed, 30 Apr 2025 15:04:50 +0200 how-switzerland-is-trying-to-crack-its-egg-shortage-this-spring Swiss consumers will be paying more when reaching for a glass of milk, or cafe latte over the second half of 2024. https://www.thelocal.ch/20240628/why-swiss-consumers-are-about-to-pay-more-for-milk Fri, 28 Jun 2024 14:47:30 +0200 why-swiss-consumers-are-about-to-pay-more-for-milk Swiss sheep farmers on Saturday dumped the bodies of animals killed by wolves in front of a regional government building, demanding more action against the predators, Swiss media reported. https://www.thelocal.ch/20240407/farmers-dump-sheep-killed-by-wolves-in-front-of-swiss-government-building Sun, 07 Apr 2024 15:09:54 +0200 farmers-dump-sheep-killed-by-wolves-in-front-of-swiss-government-building The crushing of live male chicks is at the centrepiece of a number of new animal protection regulations to be passed in the new year. https://www.thelocal.ch/20191227/shredding-of-live-chicks-to-be-banned-in-switzerland-from-january-2020 Fri, 27 Dec 2019 15:24:43 +0100 shredding-of-live-chicks-to-be-banned-in-switzerland-from-january-2020 While Swiss drinking water is generally of high quality, supply to around 2.7 percent of the population does not meet current environmental standards, a new study has found. https://www.thelocal.ch/20190913/around-170000-people-exposed-to-contaminated-drinking-water-in-switzerland Fri, 13 Sep 2019 11:19:03 +0200 around-170000-people-exposed-to-contaminated-drinking-water-in-switzerland A park of more than eight hectares will be constructed in Bernex on the outskirts of Geneva, by 2021. https://www.thelocal.ch/20190710/huge-park-and-urban-farm-to-be-created-in-geneva-by-2021 Wed, 10 Jul 2019 12:33:53 +0200 huge-park-and-urban-farm-to-be-created-in-geneva-by-2021 Farmers are 37 percent more likely than other men in rural communities to commit suicide, a new study has found. https://www.thelocal.ch/20181112/concerns-over-high-suicide-rate-among-swiss-farmers Mon, 12 Nov 2018 10:59:20 +0100 concerns-over-high-suicide-rate-among-swiss-farmers The initiative calls for the Swiss government to subsidise farmers who don't burn off their goats and cows' horns. https://www.thelocal.ch/20181004/swiss-farmer-launches-campaign-for-government-to-protect-animal-horns Thu, 04 Oct 2018 12:56:31 +0200 swiss-farmer-launches-campaign-for-government-to-protect-animal-horns Voters across Switzerland on Sunday resoundingly rejected initiatives aimed at boosting local farming and promoting more ethical and environmental standards in food production, amid fears of cost hikes and reduced consumer choice. https://www.thelocal.ch/20180923/swiss-reject-agriculture-schemes-in-national-vote Sun, 23 Sep 2018 20:08:58 +0200 swiss-reject-agriculture-schemes-in-national-vote A second Swiss canton will vote Sunday on whether to introduce a regional "burqa ban", a controversial law that would prohibit all face-covering garments in public spaces. https://www.thelocal.ch/20180921/direct-democracy-regional-burqa-ban-up-for-vote-in-switzerland-gmo-crops-agriculture Fri, 21 Sep 2018 10:56:15 +0200 direct-democracy-regional-burqa-ban-up-for-vote-in-switzerland-gmo-crops-agriculture Swiss voters are being asked to cast their vote on two different food referendums this Sunday. We take a look at the issues on the table. https://www.thelocal.ch/20180917/what-you-need-to-know-about-switzerlands-two-food-referendums Mon, 17 Sep 2018 22:53:39 +0200 what-you-need-to-know-about-switzerlands-two-food-referendums It's one of the iconic images of Switzerland – brown cows grazing in the Alps. But breeders say the animals are now so big and heavy that their health is compromised and they struggle to fit into their stalls. https://www.thelocal.ch/20180813/oversize-swiss-cows-too-big-for-their-stalls Mon, 13 Aug 2018 22:58:45 +0200 oversize-swiss-cows-too-big-for-their-stalls The trial phase launched in 2015 saw 30 refugees or people on short term visas trained and employed in farming jobs in the last three years. The project was largely deemed successful by its evaluators and will now be extended until 2022. https://www.thelocal.ch/20180809/five-swiss-cantons-to-extend-pilot-scheme-to-offer-jobs-in-agriculture-to-refugees Thu, 09 Aug 2018 13:07:09 +0200 five-swiss-cantons-to-extend-pilot-scheme-to-offer-jobs-in-agriculture-to-refugees The stoat, or short-tailed weasel, has been chosen by Swiss nature organization Pro Natura as its animal of 2018. https://www.thelocal.ch/20180104/stoat-named-switzerlands-animal-of-the-year Thu, 04 Jan 2018 09:54:03 +0100 stoat-named-switzerlands-animal-of-the-year Prosecutors in the cantons of Vaud and Fribourg say they have evidence that one person laid a series of fires in the summer that resulted in the deaths of dozens of animals. https://www.thelocal.ch/20171103/series-of-arson-attacks-in-western-switzerland-pinned-to-one-man Fri, 03 Nov 2017 12:41:44 +0100 series-of-arson-attacks-in-western-switzerland-pinned-to-one-man A bid to compensate farmers for not dehorning their cows failed to win support in parliament on Thursday. https://www.thelocal.ch/20170921/farmers-suffer-setback-over-cow-horn-subsidies Thu, 21 Sep 2017 14:38:30 +0200 farmers-suffer-setback-over-cow-horn-subsidies Swiss agrochemicals giant Syngenta, recently taken over by ChemChina, said there should be a wide-scale debate on what constitutes "sustainable agriculture" in face of a number of current controversies over pesticides. https://www.thelocal.ch/20170916/syngenta-chief-calls-for-debate-on-sustainable-agriculture Sat, 16 Sep 2017 17:40:43 +0200 syngenta-chief-calls-for-debate-on-sustainable-agriculture The 93 horses seized from a breeder on a farm in Thurgau where they had been mistreated will be put on sale on Thursday. https://www.thelocal.ch/20170815/thurgaus-rescued-horses-to-be-put-on-public-sale-this-week Tue, 15 Aug 2017 13:17:13 +0200 thurgaus-rescued-horses-to-be-put-on-public-sale-this-week ChemChina has completed its $43 billion takeover of Swiss pesticide and seed giant Syngenta, the companies said, in the biggest overseas acquisition so far by a Chinese firm. https://www.thelocal.ch/20170628/chinese-firm-chemchina-takes-over-swiss-pesticide-giant-syngenta Wed, 28 Jun 2017 13:19:39 +0200 chinese-firm-chemchina-takes-over-swiss-pesticide-giant-syngenta The total cost of the frost in late April that damaged fruit farms across Switzerland could be more than 100 million francs, according to the latest estimations. https://www.thelocal.ch/20170526/fruit-farmers-face-100-million-francs-losses-due-to-frost Fri, 26 May 2017 12:03:41 +0200 fruit-farmers-face-100-million-francs-losses-due-to-frost