Production quotas for Emmental

The Swiss government has imposed a one year production quota for Emmental AOP affecting all producers of the protected origin cheese. A control ruling brought-in during June of last year putting a limit on production in a bid to steady prices applied to members of the producer organisation Emmentaler Switzerland (ES). A government decision was needed to enforce the production quota on all Emmental AOP producers and, following an enquiry by the Ministry of Agriculture, this is now scheduled for July 1 this year and will initially run through to the end of June 2014. ES managing director Franziska Borer tells Dairy Industries International, however, that it is hoped the control will be continued after that date. Certainly, news of the arrangement had an immediate effect on producers’ returns with price “on the ramp” (for cheeses leaving the plant) rising immediately from CHF 5. 50 to 6.30/kg and a price of CHF 7.00/kg posted for July 1.

The Emmental organisation has often stressed that income under CHF6.00/kg represents less than break-even returns for the smaller-scale specialist cheesemakers. Back in 1990 there were around 800 mainly family cheesemaking concerns producing Emmental. Now, Ms Borer says, there are 142 left as members of the ES organisation and one maker still outside the organisation. “The government decision now means everyone is in the same boat.” Production of Emmental AOP last year is put at some 27,000 t (15% of total Swiss cheese production) and nearly 18,000 t of Emmental OAP was exported.

Under the new quota ruling Emmental OAP production must not increase. In fact, output could well decrease over the coming year because a new minimum maturing period has been introduced from the present 120 days to 150 days. Also, collection radius for milk to the various plants along the picturesque valley of the Große Emme river in Canton Bern has been reduced from a maximum 30 km to just 20 km as from July. This reduction applies only to any new suppliers and will in effect, say the experts, reduce the likelihood of any replacement suppliers coming into the fold. On top of this, it is no longer allowed to ship new Emmental OAP cheese out of the country for packaging and labelling elsewhere.