The head of the nation’s dairy association put the blame on an open dairy market.
Switzerland, home of some of the world’s most renowned varieties of cheese, may have to actually import more cheese than it exports this year, according to the nation’s dairy association.
Boris Beuret, who runs the dairy association, revealed the trend in an interview with Le Temps, a newspaper based in Geneva, according to the Associated Press.
In an interview published Saturday, he said the switch from net exporter to net importer is not entirely inevitable, and urged unspecified action to support the nation’s dairy farms.
“If not, then we will end up importing (cheese), which would be absurd economically, socially and ecologically,” he was quoted as saying, according to the AP.
The change would be a stark turnaround, as exports of Swiss cheese were on the rise as recently as last year when exports grew 7.9%, according to Dairy Industries International.
Historically, Switzerland has protected its milk producers through subsidies and import controls, but has gradually opened its milk markets to foreign competitors in recent years.
That competition is squeezing Swiss producers, Beuret said.
Switzerland’s name is almost synonymous with its cheese, which is world famous for the air bubbles formed during the production process. Those bubbles leave signature holes in the resulting blocks of cheese.
