On 24 September 2017, the Swiss electorate voted on the Federal Decree on Food Security (direct counter-proposal to the Popular Initiative ‘For food security’, which has now been withdrawn).
Federal Decree on Food Security (direct counter-proposal to the Popular Initiative ‘For food security’, which has now been withdrawn)
Summary of the most important points
The popular initiative ‘For food security‘ was initiated by the Swiss Farmers' Union and submitted in 2014. It demands that the Confederation increases the proportion of Swiss products in the foodstuffs supplied to the population. Although the Federal Council and Parliament recognised the vital importance of guaranteeing food supplies, they did not support the initiative because they regarded it as focusing too closely on domestic production and they were uncertain as to what precisely the authors of the initiative expected the Confederation to do. Accordingly, Parliament drafted a new article for the Constitution as a counter-proposal, which is more precisely formulated and which provides a broader basis for food security. After Parliament voted in favour of the counter-proposal by a clear majority, the initiative committee withdrew its proposal.
Aim of the bill
The new article in the Constitution supports the general thrust of current agriculture policy. It sets out how to guarantee that the Swiss population will have proper food supplies in the long term. In doing so, it takes account of the entire process from field to dinner table, from farmers to consumers. Food supplies should be guaranteed by exploiting both domestic production and imported foodstuffs.
Position of the Federal Council and Parliament
The Federal Council and Parliament recommend that you accept the new article in the Constitution. A more market-oriented and sustainable agricultural sector and food industry should guarantee adequate food supplies for the population in the future.
Last modification 24.09.2017
