Ernährungssicherheit in der Schweiz (pp.145-175)

A chapter by Christian Häberli on food security in Switzerland, published in: Tagungsband der 4. Luzerner Agrarrechtstage 2014 „Landwirtschaft und Verfassungsrecht Initiativen, Zielbestimmungen, rechtlicher Gehalt”, pages 145-175. ISBN 978-3-03751-752-9 © Dike Verlag AG, Zürich/St. Gallen (2015)

Food security is the first of three objectives enshrined in Article 104 of the Swiss Federal Constitution to which agricultural policy is expected to make a substantial contribution. A review of the instruments – high border protection, large domestic and a few export subsidies – shows, however, that the real objective of the present agricultural policy is in fact (Swiss) farm security. By the same token it impairs the contribution to Swiss food security of three related instruments i.e. trade, supply and development policies. The focus on family farm structures and landscape management even reduces the food production potential of Swiss farmers. The findings suggest (i) optimisation of food stockpile management by taxpayer contributions (instead of by consumers), (ii) a participation in virtual food security schemes (in analogy to the International Energy Agency), and (iii) efficiency improvements of Swiss farms through gradually increasing international competition. However, in the long run the WTO Green Box has the only legal, unlimited and effective tools to genuinely promote both Swiss agriculture and food security without a deleterious impact on food security in developing countries.