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4.14. A Soil Strategy was adopted by the Federal Council on 8 May 2020. It aims to preserve the fertility of the soil and to enable it to continue to perform its other services for society and the economy. The Strategy and a series of measures pursue the objective to halt any net loss of soil in Switzerland by 2050. On 6 September 2017, the Federal Council adopted the Action Plan for Risk Reduction and the Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products. (...)

4.25. Switzerland: (...) In 2019, a minimum border protection of at least CHF 70 per tonne of sugar came into force for the period from 1 January 2019 to 30 September 2021. On 3 November 2021, the Federal Assembly decided to maintain the current minimum border protection until 2026 (Section 4.1.3.4). In addition, it decided to maintain the current support measures for organic sugar beet farming.

4.35. Switzerland: (...) Under Agricultural Policy (AP) 2022-25, expenditures to improve the production base and social measures include direct support to farm investments, as well as general support for infrastructure improvement, social aid to farmers, breeding promotion, and advisory services. (...) Public expenditures to farmers aim to meet the demand for, inter alia, food security, environment protection (landscape, biodiversity, sustainable use of resources), and animal welfare. These payments are subject to environmental cross-compliance conditions (Section 4.1.3.1).

4.37. The level of direct payments to farms remains relatively high in Switzerland. According to the OECD, they account for around 50% of support to farmers. Most are general area payments to all agricultural land, payments to maintain farming in less favourable conditions, and payments to farmers who voluntarily apply stricter farming practices related to environmental and animal welfare. (...)

4.38. Switzerland: The direct payments system comprises seven categories of payments, each targeted to a specific policy objective, with a total of 25 measures (Table 4.2). The general eligibility criteria for direct payments have not changed since the previous Review and include a set of environmental performance standards (proof of ecological performance), including a 7% biodiversity area requirement. The authorities indicate that this requirement will still be in force under Agricultural Policy (AP) 2022-25. The maximum direct payment is CHF 70,000 per annual work unit [24]. (...)
[24] Excluding "transitional payments, payments for landscape quality, resource efficiency payments and payments for biodiversity networks".

4.39. Switzerland: "Payments for ensuring food security" remain the main category, and they cover three types of support: (...)
• The "basic payment" for which virtually the entire agricultural area of 1 million hectares is eligible (CHF 900 per hectare, CHF 450 per hectare for biodiversity pastures and meadows), including permanent pastures [26] but excluding the summer pasturing area.
[26] The payment rate is CHF 450/ha on permanent pastures that are cultivated as biodiversity areas.

4.40. Switzerland: The "farmland payments" have the objective of maintaining a cultivated agricultural landscape in the hilly and mountainous areas. Four of the six measures are per-hectare payments that are tiered according to the slope of the terrain and are conditional on landscape stewardship measures by farmers. The higher the location of the farm, the higher the direct payment. On the summer pasturing area (covering about 465,000 hectares), the "summer pasturing payments" are subject to environmental requirements for grazing livestock.

4.41. Switzerland: The "payments for production systems" are intended to encourage environmentally friendly or animal welfare-friendly methods of production. The "payments for organic agriculture" (CHF 200/ha CHF 1,600/ha, depending on the crop) are linked to farming methods that comply with the Organic Farming Ordinance (RS 910.18). The "payments for extensive cereal and rapeseed production" amount at CHF 400/ha and provides an incentive for a pesticide-free production. (...)

4.42. Switzerland: The "biodiversity payments" are provided to compensate farmers for the adaptation of their land use, with a view to countering the decline of priority species and valuable natural habitats on agricultural land. Thus, the objectives and measures defined within the framework of the contributions to biodiversity aim to contribute to the achievement of the environmental objectives for agriculture. There are two types of biodiversity payments: (i) payments for quality (with two types of quality, depending on the performance), and a payment of CHF 150-CHF 3,800/ha is provided by the Federal Government for certain lands that contribute to biodiversity; and (ii) payments for connectivity (CHF 1,000/ha of the core farmland), which are granted only if the agricultural land complies with the guidelines of a regional connectivity project approved by the canton. (...)

4.43. Switzerland: The "resource efficiency payments" aim to improve the sustainable exploitation of natural resources and the efficient use of the means of production. These payments comprise five incentives measures for emission-reducing application techniques of manure, precision application of pesticides, reduced tillage methods, nitrogen-reduced phase feeding for pigs, and reduced application of pesticides in sugar beet, fruit, and vine growing.