Economics
Swiss Cows Get Too Fat for Their Own Good
- Smaller cows are more efficient at producing milk: farm group
- Swiss farmers reared bigger cows through targeted breeding
This article is for subscribers only.
As parched pastures force farmers across Europe to purchase expensive feed crops for their hungry herds, a Swiss dairy association may have part of the answer: smaller beasts.
New Swiss Cow, a group advising about 100 farmers, is trying to reverse 50-year-old push for bigger animals in Switzerland, which it says was based on the false premise they would boost economic output by producing more milk. While it’s true the livestock long favored by Swiss farmers churn out more milk, smaller cows do it more efficiently by using proportionately less feed and space, according to the association. They also require fewer visits from the vet than their genetically-enhanced cousins, New Swiss Cow said.