Swiss Drought Costs Farmers CHF 15,000 Weekly as Zurich Demands Compensation

Switzerland is gripped by severe drought, with rainfall from April to June averaging only 185mm, half the normal amount. A Zurich farmer now demands compensation for CHF 15,000 in weekly irrigation costs, forcing a reckoning between agriculture and major retailers over who bears the financial burden of climate-driven crop losses.

The cost of survival for Swiss farmers

Farmer Andi Maurer from Trüllikon works through the night to irrigate his crops, spending CHF 15,000 per week on emergency measures. The drought has forced many farmers across Switzerland to use winter fodder reserves early and even cull livestock. In Ticino, some farms report hay and grass production down 60 to 70 percent compared to last year.

Retailers resist price increases despite crop damage

The Zurich Farmers’ Union demands rapid price adjustments from retailers and wholesalers to offset drought costs. Migros and Coop have not announced concrete price increases. Maurer warns he will shut down irrigation if his work goes unvalued, signaling farmers’ willingness to let crops fail rather than absorb losses alone.

A drought worse than 1976

Between April 1 and June 28, Switzerland received only 185mm of rain on average, according to the Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology. On June 25, the Swiss government raised the drought alert to maximum level for much of the country. Lake Constance and Lake Lucerne are at unusually low levels, and national reservoir fill sits at 51 percent, below the 2013-2021 average of 68 percent.

Political pressure mounts on climate action

Seven hundred farmers and agricultural workers signed an open letter demanding the Swiss Farmers’ Union support climate protection instead of highway expansion. Even SVP politicians now call for stronger climate measures. The drought has exposed how vulnerable Swiss agriculture remains despite the country’s water resources, forcing a debate over whether adaptation or mitigation should take priority.

Final Thoughts

Swiss farmers face a choice: absorb drought costs or stop producing. Retailers’ silence on price increases suggests the burden will fall on farms, not supermarket shelves. Without compensation or climate action, more farmers may follow Maurer’s threat to shut down.

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