Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/355/REV.1 |
S-III§175 |
Switzerland and Liechtenstein |
2017 |
Measures |
Other measures |
Other |
Relevant information
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(...) Switzerland signed WIPO's Marrakesh VIP Treaty on 28 June 2013, and ratified the Nagoya Protocol to the Convention on Biological Diversity on 11 June 2014. [167] (...)
[167] Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted on 29 October 2009. The treaty entered into force for Switzerland on 12 October 2014.
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/355/REV.1 |
S-III§181 |
Switzerland and Liechtenstein |
2017 |
Measures |
Intellectual property measures |
Not specified |
Relevant information
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Bilaterally, Switzerland has concluded a Free Trade Agreement with China that entered into force on 1 July 2014. The Agreement contains an elaborate chapter on intellectual property protection, which builds on the Swiss-Chinese bilateral dialogue on intellectual property since 2007 and provides for "more precisely [specified] or enhanced IP projection" than the TRIPS Agreement. The IP provisions provide for, inter alia, protection for acoustic trademarks , patentability of inventions in the area of biotechnology and herbal medicines , disclosure of traditional knowledge and genetic resources in patent applications, pharmaceutical test data exclusivity for 6 years , plant variety protection, and protection against misleading use of country names. Under the Agreement, border measures must be available also in respect of patent and design violations both on import and export. Bilateral Swiss memoranda on dialogues on intellectual property exist also with Singapore and India.
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/355/REV.1 |
S-IV§3 |
Switzerland and Liechtenstein |
2017 |
Sectors |
Grants and direct payments |
Agriculture |
Relevant information
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Swiss agricultural policy pursues diverse objectives, namely sustainable and market-oriented agricultural production that contributes to food security, protection of natural resources, landscape stewardship, decentralized settlement, and animal welfare. The Federal Government is directed by the Swiss Constitution to support agriculture's multi-functionality and delivery of public goods, inter alia, with direct payments linked to environmental cross-compliance.
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Keywords
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Natural resources
Sustainable
Environment
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/355/REV.1 |
S-IV§17 |
Switzerland and Liechtenstein |
2017 |
Sectors |
General environmental reference |
Agriculture |
Relevant information
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Agricultural policy in Liechtenstein has the objective of achieving sustainable and market-oriented production, in accordance with the Agriculture Act of 2008. (...)
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/355/REV.1 |
S-IV§18 |
Switzerland and Liechtenstein |
2017 |
Sectors |
Grants and direct payments |
Agriculture |
Relevant information
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Under the previous agriculture policy framework (AP 2011), the DP (direct payment) budget was allocated to "general" DPs (80%) and "ecological" DPs (20%), which were tied to compliance with environmental criteria and animal welfare objectives. The DP scheme comprised a set of 13 measures, which were notified in terms of Green Box decoupled income support, regional assistance, or environmental programmes, as explained in detail in the last TPR. The new direct payment system is more complex. The new DP regime comprises seven categories of payments, each targeted to a specific policy objective, with a total of 21 measures (Table 4.1).
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/355/REV.1 |
S-IV§19 |
Switzerland and Liechtenstein |
2017 |
Sectors |
Grants and direct payments |
Agriculture |
Relevant information
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The main DP category is "payments for ensuring food security", for which about SwF 1.1 billion per year have been allocated, covering three types of support:
The "basic payment" for which virtually the entire agricultural area of 1 million hectares is eligible (SwF 900 per hectare), including permanent pastures [21] (...)
[21] The payment rate is SwF 450/ha on permanent pastures that are cultivated as bio-diversity areas.
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/355/REV.1 |
S-IV§20 |
Switzerland and Liechtenstein |
2017 |
Sectors |
Grants and direct payments |
Agriculture |
Relevant information
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(...) On the summer pasturing area (covering about 465,000 hectares), the "summer pasturing payments" have been maintained with environmental requirements for grazing livestock. The payments have been increased (except for sheep) to SwF 400 per livestock unit (up from SwF 320 under AP 2011).
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/355/REV.1 |
S-IV§21 |
Switzerland and Liechtenstein |
2017 |
Sectors |
Grants and direct payments |
Agriculture |
Relevant information
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The "payments for production systems" are intended to encourage environment-friendly or animal welfare-friendly methods of production. This DP category contains four pre-existing measures and one new incentive. The "payments for organic agriculture" (SwF 200-1,600/ha, depending on the crop) are linked to farming methods that comply with the Organic Farming Ordinance (RS 910.18). About 13% of the agricultural area was eligible in 2014. The "payments for extensive cereal and rapeseed production" have been maintained at SwF 400/ha. The "payments for pasture-based dairy and meat production" (SwF 200/ha) is a new measure to provide an incentive for pasture and roughage-based livestock systems. The animal welfare payments for outdoor systems and livestock housing systems have been retained.
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/355/REV.1 |
S-IV§22 |
Switzerland and Liechtenstein |
2017 |
Sectors |
Grants and direct payments |
Agriculture |
Relevant information
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The "biodiversity payments" comprise three pre-existing environmental measures which have been re-arranged under this DP category with enhanced incentives in some cases (SwF 450-3,800/ha). The incentives cover, for example, the extensive use of pastures and meadows; hedges; or fallowing (SwF 3,300/ha).
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/355/REV.1 |
S-IV§24 |
Switzerland and Liechtenstein |
2017 |
Sectors |
Grants and direct payments |
Agriculture |
Relevant information
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The "resource efficiency payments" comprise three new incentives for emission-reducing application techniques of manure; precision application of pesticides; and reduced tillage methods. The pre-existing incentives for resource protection projects (water conservation) have been maintained.
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Keywords
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Natural resources
Conservation
Emissions
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