No idea but the ones I know seem to be proud when they buy meat from Switzerland and have often heard them commenting on the "crappy quality" of meat from neighbouring countries (eg. Gammelfleisch scandals in Germany)

origins :
pork = Switzerland
lamb = New Zealand / if kosher/halal NZ via France
beef = Poland (plus Hungary etc)
chicken = Switzerland plus Germany, France, Austria

relatively "small" channels in use, and enormous conditions
put onto the traders by the authorities, and that again
based onto health laws

a variety of factors contribute to make meat expensive

ridiculed by the fact that people along the borders (some 50%
of the people) easily can get the stuff cheaper from across


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Here the gross duty on one kilo of Halal lamb

0204.2310 Normal 30.00 Fr. je 100 kg brutto

it may be 300% plus in Zollikerberg

given the cost of meat it makes you wonder how many swiss are vegeterian.

The cost of a crappy barn chicken in CH is the same as a top-of-the-range organic one in the UK...

and the Swiss beef needs all the protection it can get, given the (generally) poor quality of it

but then is all relative to wages et al...

hold on, haven't I seen this thread before?

It is because of political protection of farmers in switzerland. Meat import is taxed so the expensive meat production in Switzerland can exist. This regualation was designed after 2WW making sure the people will have a minimum of food suply if there is another war and food imports not available. Today it is only of sentimental reason, because SVP who want to have a lot farmers reciving tax payers money (Fr.60`000.- per farmer a year) make sure they vote for SVP.
I would vote for SVP too if get Fr.60`000.- plus a lot benefits a year (e.g. mortage for free 0%) for running a none profitable busines.

There is the anymal protection act which is in some topics better and in some more needless than in other countries. That makes it expensive too.

I'm in the wrong business....

One reason is protectionism, the other is higher food regulations, no meatfarms here.

Are you serious that the import duties are 375% ?

Makes the illict drug trade look uneconomical to smuggling in beef

no meartfarm? explain please, I thought that chicken and piggies were swiss??

My car got searched on the way back from Italy a few weeks back because they thought I was smuggling cheese...

Sorry, I meant industrially organised meat factories like in France and the US, the regulations on how to keep animals are much stricter here. Something I agree with, unlike the protectionist measures, open the market to developing countries I say, and give them a chance to export their products.

Yeah, that makes me wonder if perhaps I should go ahead and talk hubby into getting a house out in the country with a few head of cattle and a nice field of sunflowers or something.

I'm *sure* there is more to it than that though.

No, they were searching for to sausage processed mafia victims.
I know i am evil, but i couldn`t resist.

Must've been the smell...

Amateur. Ever been to Migros ? 500g tomato ravioli made entirely of Eastern European opposition politicians, dirt cheap let me tell you.

when you import more then half a kilo of meat you have to pay 20,- sfr tax
per kilo(one 500g per day/person is free of tax)

i don't think that marlboro smell of cheese, do they?

Farms and agriculturable land has become unpayable in switzerland. If you find something you could buy and afford, it will be next door Heidis cottage on 1500m only reachable in winter with Mount Everrest climbing skills.
Al other places are sold already to the big shots and rich horse lovers.

There has to be some deal you could do with a tour coach drivers entering into Switzerland.
Say 40 passengers at 500grms => 20kgs of beef per coach; 10 coaches per day => 200kgs

the "crappy barn" chicken here tastes better than most "organic" UK ones - hence the similar price.
Everyone once in a while people complain about the price of meat in Switzerland, here on EF. Do you get the same wages?

Bugger me. How much for meat?
If they can't afford meat - give them FISH (or maybe not?)
Quality of meat in Switzerland?


there are ways to save :
-buy on sale
-go over to Konstanz (i used to, but now prefer the quality i get here)
-eat less meat!
-become vegetarian
-date a cow

ok now back to packing...

Put me down for some fish and chips and a nice steak when I go to Edinburgh in May.....