Swiss fruit producers are becoming increasingly resolute against a proposed free trade agreement with the EU for agricultural produce.
Last week's release of a study from the University of St-Gall has added fuel to their argument that it would be bad for domestic growers, according to Swisscofel, the Swiss association of fruits, vegetables and potatoes.
Were an agreement reached, Swiss fruit producers would see their domestic market share fall by 30-40 per cent, the study concluded.
Exports would barely compensate for these losses, if at all, according to Fruit-Union Suisse, a producer organisation whose members assembled in the Thun district.
Providing finance merely to support the production and transformation of fruits would cost more than SFr150m (€108m), warned Fruit-Union president Pius Jans.
Evoking the new federal programme of consolidation, whose aim is to make savings in the agricultural sector, Mr Jans stated that a reduction in spending by the Confederation, particularly on marketing for exports, was incompatible with the strategy of market liberalisation.
