Switzerland is a country that takes preparedness seriously, stockpiling important foodstuffs, health products, industrial goods, nuclear fuel—including coffee and butter. And the butter reserve has been melting.
After a near-disastrous dip to a mere 1,500 tonnes of golden goodness last spring, the reserve is now only up to 2,300 tonnes, a level calling for instant action. The Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture proclaimed “A shortage of butter supply, especially at the end of the year, must be prevented,” stating that “for the first time in years there is an insufficient supply of Swiss butter for the market.”
In response to the crisis and a request from the Swiss milk industry, the government has lifted limits to allow an additional 1,000 tonnes of French butter to cross the border this year.
And why is butter in short supply in Switzerland? We thought you’d never ask. It appears to be because of an increased demand at home and abroad for Swiss cheese (and not just the one with the holes). Cheese, it turns out, is a more profitable use of milkfat than butter, so in recent times more milk has been diverted into cheese production.
