Why Swiss farmers dye surplus tubers for animal feed

A bumper harvest has left Swiss farmers with more potatoes than the market can handle. Instead of ending up on dinner plates, many will be fed to cows – but only after being coloured and the farmers compensated. In the barn of farmer Andreas Schwab in canton Bern, three large trailers are piled high with potatoes. “It was a good potato year,” he says. Mild temperatures and well-timed rain created ideal growing conditions. “As a farmer, the first thing you’re happy about is when something turns out well.” But the good harvest has a downside: Schwab now has tonnes of surplus potatoes. He had a contract with the Inoverde cooperative to deliver 200 tonnes, but harvested around 240 tonnes. The extra 40 tonnes will mostly go to feed his own cows and those of a colleague in the Jura region. “That really hurts,” he admits. “But it’s the second-best solution.” The best would be for people to eat them. Yet even in a good year, Swiss plates don’t suddenly feature more rösti, chips or ... Full story here Are you the author? Previous post See more for 3.) Swissinfo Business and Economy Next post
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