Rescuing the Emmental Cheese Industry
Switzerland's iconic Emmentaler cheese is struggling to stay on its feet, with prices in the gutter and commercially produced cheese vying for the upper hand. Julie Hunt at swissinfo has the story on proposed production quotas to curtail over-production and help the industry stay afloat:
The number of dairy farmers involved in the production of Swiss Emmentaler has declined. In 1990, there were 800 Emmental cheese producers in Switzerland. Now there are only 149 producing authentic Emmentaler AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée).
Emmentaler AOC dealers frequently order more from the cheese makers than they can sell, so the market is flooded and the prices offered by Swiss cheese handlers are often too low.
“One kilo of Emmentaler now costs SFr5.6 per kilo, which is too little to ensure the survival of small dairies,” Emmentaler Switzerland director Franziska Borer told swissinfo.ch.
