Context

Switzerland’s population should have access to sufficient quantities of high-quality and affordable food at all times. To achieve this, the federal government must create the appropriate framework. This mandate is enshrined in the Federal Constitution. At present, Swiss agriculture meets just under half of the country’s food requirements; the rest is imported. To protect the environment, biodiversity and drinking water, the Swiss agricultural sector must comply with a number of requirements.

The initiative

The food initiative wants Switzerland to produce significantly more of its own food. The aim is to make Switzerland less dependent on other countries. In future, at least 70 per cent of the food consumed in Switzerland should be produced domestically. This requires the Swiss agricultural sector to produce fewer animal-based foods and more plant-based foods. This way, more people can be fed using the same amount of land. In addition, the initiative aims to better protect the environment and drinking water, and to preserve soil fertility and biodiversity. Farmers should use fewer plant protection products and fertilisers. The aim is to achieve these targets within ten years of the initiative being adopted.

Contents of the initiative

Context

Food Supply

Today, Swiss agriculture produces slightly less than half of the food consumed in Switzerland. The rest comes from abroad. Switzerland therefore relies on imports to ensure its food supply. This also applies to the inputs needed to produce food in Switzerland, such as fertilizers and seeds.

Environmental Protection in Agriculture

Swiss agriculture must meet a number of requirements to protect the environment, biodiversity, and drinking water. In recent years, progress has been made in the use of pesticides and fertilizers. For example, pesticides that pose lower risks to the environment are now being used more widely.

Further Development of Agricultural Policy

Despite this progress, the Federal Council and Parliament see a need for further action. Parliament has therefore instructed the Federal Council to include, among other things, measures in the further development of agricultural policy that will increase food security and make the agricultural and food sectors more environmentally friendly. In February 2026, the Federal Council outlined the direction of future agricultural policy and instructed the administration to draft a corresponding consultation document by the third quarter of 2026.

Demands of the Initiative

The Food Initiative aims to ensure that Swiss agriculture produces a significantly larger share of the food consumed domestically. To feed more people using the same amount of land, fewer animal-based and more plant-based foods should be produced and consumed. Furthermore, the initiative calls for clean drinking water to be explicitly included among the foodstuffs to which the population must have access. It also aims to better protect soil fertility and biodiversity and to further reduce environmental pollution caused by pesticides and fertilizers. The initiative’s provisions must be implemented within ten years of its adoption.

Food Supply

Today, Switzerland meets slightly less than half of its food needs domestically. The so-called net self-sufficiency rate averaged 45 percent from 2022 to 2024. The initiative committee is calling for an increase in the net self-sufficiency rate to at least 70 percent. This is intended to reduce dependence on other countries, and Switzerland would be better able to provide for itself in the event of a crisis. Increasing the net self-sufficiency rate is also a priority for the Federal Council. It plans to raise this rate to at least 50 percent by the year 2050.

More Plant-Based Foods

The initiative aims to shift the Swiss agricultural and food sectors toward greater production and consumption of plant-based foods. Today, the production of animal-based foods (e.g., meat, milk, eggs) plays a major role in Switzerland. This is due, among other things, to the fact that in Switzerland, approximately 60 percent of agricultural land is not suitable for arable farming. These areas can only be used as pastureland for cows, sheep, or goats for food production. In mountainous regions, the landscape consists almost entirely of pastureland. In addition, more than half of the arable land is used for the production of animal feed, such as feed grains for pigs.

Preserving Ecosystems and Biodiversity

The initiative aims to ensure that soils remain fertile. It also seeks to preserve biodiversity—that is, the diversity of animals, plants, and their habitats. Biodiversity and soil fertility are essential foundations for high-yield agriculture. Since 2008, environmental targets for agriculture have set maximum limits for environmental impacts. Not all of these targets are currently being met. The initiative therefore calls for stronger protection of ecosystems. Farmers should use pesticides and fertilizers more sparingly to reduce the burden on the environment.

Ensuring Clean Drinking Water

Drinking water in Switzerland is of good quality and is continuously monitored. About 80 percent comes from groundwater and spring water, while around 20 percent is treated from lakes. Groundwater can be contaminated by residues of pesticides and fertilizers. The initiative aims to better protect groundwater so that clean drinking water can continue to be obtained in the future.

Consequences of the initiative

If the initiative were accepted, Switzerland would be less dependent on imported food in the event of a crisis. The existing environmental goals for agriculture could be achieved sooner than the Federal Council had intended. However, the agricultural and food sectors would have to shift significantly toward plant-based production within ten years. Less animal-based food would likely be produced. The public would have to change its eating habits. If it did not do so and continued to consume large amounts of animal-based foods, more of these would have to be imported. The negative environmental impacts would then be shifted abroad.

Results

The initiative was rejected.

Voter turnout: 47.0%
Yes votes: 27.5%