The European Commission’s current financial proposals give rise to fears that European cohesion will lose strength. If, in future, the agricultural budget must compete with other sectors and if Member States decide in a dominant and individual manner how, for example, environmental services and funds for rural development are distributed nationally, the European Union risks becoming a European Patchwork. This would lead to increasing inequalities and uncertainty, especially for farmers.

Today, many dairy farmers are suffering because their profession does not get the recognition it deserves. If we want to highlight the value of dairy farming, perhaps we should begin by singing the praises of dairy cows. We need to understand their essential role in our agricultural system and showcase their many contributions. I have therefore decided to give my dairy cows a voice. I interact with them day in day out and they are a part of my life. But I realise that the public at large knows very little about them. So, I will do my best to speak on their behalf.

“I am a dairy cow. I have always been part of your history, of your landscape. Until recently, I was an intrinsic part of Swiss farming, a source of wealth; I have fed your bodies and your imagination. But today, people wonder if I’m useful, dairy farming is called into question and not everyone enjoys my milk as a part of their diet. So, what does that mean? Am I, the dairy cow, a nuisance, a pest? Let’s look at some agronomic concepts before we reach any hasty conclusions, and let’s take the time to understand all my contributions.

Historically, I have fed the population, contributed to economic development in alpine regions, provided manure, shaped landscapes that you treasure and cleared inhospitable areas. With my milk, I am the starting point of unique know-how that has led to a wide range of speciality cheese-making; I am an integral part of your heritage, of your traditions. Even today, I stand at the beginning of an important value chain. I generate income for farmers, and with my milk and meat, for the dairy and meat industries as well. Indirectly, I create jobs and generate income for a multitude of professionals, be it veterinarians, farm equipment installers, public servants, construction workers or animal feed producers and nutritionists! Furthermore, I play an important role in maintaining open spaces, in fighting against scrub encroachment and forest fires, especially in the mountains. I contribute to preserving the diversity of our landscapes, which promotes biodiversity. Thanks to me, it’s possible to populate decentral and remote areas by keeping economic activity in rural regions and, additionally, I also contribute to tourism.

But you have now realised that I generate greenhouse gases, that my milk can be the cause of digestion problems and that large amounts of agricultural land (here and elsewhere) are used to grow food for me, and part of this land could be better used to produce food for human consumption. You’ve also learnt of deforestation and intensive livestock farming, soil erosion and desertification, the abusive use of antibiotics and the resulting microbial resistance.”

But what’s the situation in Switzerland? Are we going down the same path? First off, let’s look at some figures: in 2022, the dairy sector represented 23.7% of total agricultural production by value. We still had 17,531 dairy farms in Switzerland: 8,651 in mountainous regions and 8,880 in the plains, of which 1,933 on summer pastures. Average milk production per holding was 184,671 kg, average milk output was about 7,000 kg per cow and per year and the average number of dairy cows per holding was 26. In Europe as a whole, in comparison, average production per holding was 294,393 kg of milk, the average herd size was 41 cows and average milk output per cow was 7,200 kg.

You can thus see that milk production in Switzerland remains at a human scale, on small and medium-sized farms that are often family-run. Half of our milk production takes place in mountain regions, and many dairy cows from the plains are taken up to summer pastures. This geographic distribution ensures decentralised land occupation and makes it possible to use untillable land. In fact, the Swiss altitude and topography means that 60% of arable land can only be productively used as pastures. And to transform these pastures into calories suitable for human consumption, it is necessary for ruminants to graze and produce milk and meat. This contributes to our food self-sufficiency rate, which I would like to recall, is only around 50%. Furthermore, dairy cows consume several by-products of human food production like rapeseed oil cakes (from oil production), spent grain (from beer production), molasses (from sugar production) and even endive roots (from endive cultivation).

Let’s now look at greenhouse gas emissions (website available in German and French):

• Transport is the largest emitter; it produces 32% of CO₂ equivalent.

• Industry comes second with 24% of emissions.
• Households are third with 17% CO₂ equivalent.
• Agriculture is responsible for 14% of emissions.
• Dairy cows produce 3.8% of CO₂ equivalent during digestion.

“While ruminating, I produce methane which enters the carbon cycle that is affecting our planet. But I am also part of the solution. In fact, it is possible to produce biogas, a renewable energy source, from my excrements. This source of energy is still massively underexploited but technological advances will allow for even better use of this resource in the future. Furthermore, permanent grasslands, which are not tilled and where I graze, are carbon sinks. They capture large quantities of greenhouse gases. I also produce significant amounts of manure. This organic matter is necessary to enrich soils and makes it possible to reduce the use of artificial fertilisers. Manure also plays a part in maintaining soil quality as it adds organic matter and humus, which are essential to soil health.

In conclusion, I would say that thanks to my many functions, and as long as dairy farming remains at a human scale, I am part of a virtuous cycle that is necessary for resilient, diversified agriculture. If my milk and meat production is based on pastures that cannot be used by human beings, it is part of a sustainable cycle that capitalises on renewable resources. That is why, at the end of the day, I, the dairy cow, am still an important part of our agricultural system.”

This article was published on www.lematin.ch.

Anne Chenevard, President of Faireswiss

The Irish dairy sector has seen a positive first half of 2025. Weather has been pleasant, with cows able to get to pasture early, and grass growth has been strong over the course of the first six months. Rain has been moderate with a really dry May followed by a much-needed wet spell in June, hence the growth in pastures has been above and beyond 2024 levels.

On 20 March 2025, a solemn event in Memmingen looked back at something that took place 500 years ago at this very place: the adoption of the “Twelve Articles” by the so-called “Farmers’ Parliament” of 1525, a ground-breaking document of farmer self-determination and a milestone on the long road to freedom, equality and human rights.