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Swiss Farmers' Union
The Swiss Farmers' Union (SFU; until 2013 Schweizerischer Bauernverband; French: Union Suisse des Paysans (USP), Italian: Unione Svizzera dei Contadini (USC), Romansh: Uniun Purila Svizra (UPS) represents the interests of the farming community in Switzerland as an umbrella organization and is considered one of the most influential organizations in the country.
The association was established in 1897 in Bern Town Hall. Its co-founders were Johann Jenny and Caspar Decurtins. Three years later, the association's headquarters were relocated from Bern to Brugg, as the wife of the association's director, Ernst Laur, was from there and was unwilling to relocate to Bern. Another influential figure in the early years was Fritz Zaugg. Over time, the modest Farmers' Secretariat (Schweizerisches Bauernsekretariat; SBS for short) evolved into a sizable association with over 80 permanent employees through the establishment of new departments. In 1941, the Swiss Rural Women's Association joined the SFU. In 1937, the SFU was pivotal in establishing the Agricultural Information Service (AIS). In 1947, a placement office for agricultural workers and trainees was established. Workers were initially recruited mainly from Italy, and later from Spain, Portugal, and Yugoslavia. In the mid-1970s, the Swiss Confederation transferred the central evaluation of accounting results to the Swiss Confederation's Center of Excellence for Agricultural Research in Tänikon. As a result, the SFU was reorganized in 1979 and the SBS was dissolved. The focus shifted to influencing the legislative process in favor of agriculture and providing services to members. In 1981, the Small Farmers' Association was accepted as a section, before leaving in 1982 due to differences over the Small Farmers' Initiative.
In 1995, the association began offering Internet services under the name agri.ch. After a Management buyout, the company became green.ch in 2001.
The association is composed of representatives of 25 cantonal farmers' associations and 60 agricultural umbrella and specialized organizations (21 from the animal production sector, 13 from the crop production sector, 4 cooperative associations, and 22 from other sectors; as of November 2023).
The affiliated sub-associations represent some 49,000 farms. They elect 500 members to the Assembly of Delegates, which defines the goals of the association and makes fundamental decisions. The delegates elect a 100-member Chamber of Agriculture (LAKA), which is responsible for securing income, making submissions to the authorities, and supervising management. The Board of Directors consists of 18 to 21 members. It deals with the day-to-day business of the Association, forms specialist commissions, and appoints the members of the Secretariat.
SFU Director Martin Rufer and his deputy Urs Schneider can lobby directly in the Federal Palace. They were granted access to the parliament building by SFU President and National Councillor Markus Ritter. Ritter is the first organic farmer to hold this position. Among the more than 40 "farmer parliamentarians" of the Swiss Farmers' Association are Charles Juillard, a member of the Council of States, Leo Müller, a member of the National Council, and Nicolò Paganini, a member of the National Council and chairman of the Board of Directors of the Migros Cooperative Eastern Switzerland.
The SFU has set itself the following goals To provide a range of services to farmers, to preserve the family farm, to provide farmers with an adequate income, to influence the legal framework, to use the land wisely, to produce quality products through transparent production processes and designations of origin, to protect cultivated land and to preserve nature.
To achieve these goals, the SFU operates various service companies, including Agrimpuls (Job placement), Agriprof (Education), Agriexpert (Fiduciary services, Legal and Valuation issues), the Agricultural Construction and Architecture Firm LBA, and the Agrisano Companies. The latter are five legally and economically independent companies (Agrisano Foundation, Agrisano Health Insurance Ltd., Agrisano Insurance Ltd., Agrisano Previous, and Agrisano Pencas) that work together to offer farming families and their employees self-developed personal insurance solutions tailored to their needs. Agrisano works closely with the cantonal Agricultural Professional Organizations, which operate regional offices for Agrisano.
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Swiss Farmers' Union
The Swiss Farmers' Union (SFU; until 2013 Schweizerischer Bauernverband; French: Union Suisse des Paysans (USP), Italian: Unione Svizzera dei Contadini (USC), Romansh: Uniun Purila Svizra (UPS) represents the interests of the farming community in Switzerland as an umbrella organization and is considered one of the most influential organizations in the country.
The association was established in 1897 in Bern Town Hall. Its co-founders were Johann Jenny and Caspar Decurtins. Three years later, the association's headquarters were relocated from Bern to Brugg, as the wife of the association's director, Ernst Laur, was from there and was unwilling to relocate to Bern. Another influential figure in the early years was Fritz Zaugg. Over time, the modest Farmers' Secretariat (Schweizerisches Bauernsekretariat; SBS for short) evolved into a sizable association with over 80 permanent employees through the establishment of new departments. In 1941, the Swiss Rural Women's Association joined the SFU. In 1937, the SFU was pivotal in establishing the Agricultural Information Service (AIS). In 1947, a placement office for agricultural workers and trainees was established. Workers were initially recruited mainly from Italy, and later from Spain, Portugal, and Yugoslavia. In the mid-1970s, the Swiss Confederation transferred the central evaluation of accounting results to the Swiss Confederation's Center of Excellence for Agricultural Research in Tänikon. As a result, the SFU was reorganized in 1979 and the SBS was dissolved. The focus shifted to influencing the legislative process in favor of agriculture and providing services to members. In 1981, the Small Farmers' Association was accepted as a section, before leaving in 1982 due to differences over the Small Farmers' Initiative.
In 1995, the association began offering Internet services under the name agri.ch. After a Management buyout, the company became green.ch in 2001.
The association is composed of representatives of 25 cantonal farmers' associations and 60 agricultural umbrella and specialized organizations (21 from the animal production sector, 13 from the crop production sector, 4 cooperative associations, and 22 from other sectors; as of November 2023).
The affiliated sub-associations represent some 49,000 farms. They elect 500 members to the Assembly of Delegates, which defines the goals of the association and makes fundamental decisions. The delegates elect a 100-member Chamber of Agriculture (LAKA), which is responsible for securing income, making submissions to the authorities, and supervising management. The Board of Directors consists of 18 to 21 members. It deals with the day-to-day business of the Association, forms specialist commissions, and appoints the members of the Secretariat.
SFU Director Martin Rufer and his deputy Urs Schneider can lobby directly in the Federal Palace. They were granted access to the parliament building by SFU President and National Councillor Markus Ritter. Ritter is the first organic farmer to hold this position. Among the more than 40 "farmer parliamentarians" of the Swiss Farmers' Association are Charles Juillard, a member of the Council of States, Leo Müller, a member of the National Council, and Nicolò Paganini, a member of the National Council and chairman of the Board of Directors of the Migros Cooperative Eastern Switzerland.
The SFU has set itself the following goals To provide a range of services to farmers, to preserve the family farm, to provide farmers with an adequate income, to influence the legal framework, to use the land wisely, to produce quality products through transparent production processes and designations of origin, to protect cultivated land and to preserve nature.
To achieve these goals, the SFU operates various service companies, including Agrimpuls (Job placement), Agriprof (Education), Agriexpert (Fiduciary services, Legal and Valuation issues), the Agricultural Construction and Architecture Firm LBA, and the Agrisano Companies. The latter are five legally and economically independent companies (Agrisano Foundation, Agrisano Health Insurance Ltd., Agrisano Insurance Ltd., Agrisano Previous, and Agrisano Pencas) that work together to offer farming families and their employees self-developed personal insurance solutions tailored to their needs. Agrisano works closely with the cantonal Agricultural Professional Organizations, which operate regional offices for Agrisano.