Advancing the value creation network for Swiss organic pasture beef

Schweizer Bio-Weiderind (Swiss organic pasture beef) is a grassland-based cattle farming system that:

• is ecologically sustainable due to its efficient land use,
• promotes biodiversity due to its low-input grassland use,
• ensures ethologically sound animal husbandry, and
• produces excellent beef that is extremely marketable.

Pasture-based cattle farming in Switzerland is a unique success story and makes an important contribution to the sustainable use of grassland without unnecessarily competing with arable land. Grazing maintains natural meadows and summer pasturage areas while also promoting biodiversity. Grazing promotes humus build-up and is beneficial for animal welfare.

Dairy cows are highly efficient at converting grassland into human-digestible food, and they are a major contributor to value added in the farming sector. Calves produced by dairy cows and raised in pasture-based systems also efficiently and sustainably contribute to the production of high-quality food.

In the Weiterentwicklung Wertschöpfungsnetz Schweizer Bio-Weiderind project (Advancing the value creation network for Swiss organic pasture beef), we are working with the relevant value chains to promote pasture-based cattle farming in the areas of sales, production and policies.

We are committed to good cooperation between the various pasture-based cattle programmes and to increasing sales in the retail and catering sectors. We work together with all interested partners in the sector and jointly develop viable solutions to strengthen pasture-based cattle farming as part of a sustainable and viable future-oriented farming sector.

Tangible action on our part includes the

• development and establishment of a producers' parent organisation,
• establishment of high-level, effective communication for Swiss organic pasture beef,
• improvement of value chains by means of transparent, digital volume planning and key account management,
• initiation of meat category marketing for beef across value chains.

We work closely with IG Bio Weide Beef, Bio Suisse, FiBL, Bio Fair Schweiz, KAGfreiland, Demeter and Foodward

Further information

Contacts

• Stefan Schürmann (Project leader)
• Judith Riedel (Deputy project leader)
• Elmar Barmettler (Sales promotion)

Weblinks

• IG Bio Weide-Beef