Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday
Shortage of medications worsens in Switzerland; train traffic to be disrupted for the next four months; and other news in our roundup on Tuesday.
Swiss cheese can no longer compete with foreign one
As has already been reported, this year Switzerland is for the first time importing more cheese than it exports.
At least part of the blame for this development lies with Swiss consumers, who are turning to cheaper imported products to save money.
One of the reasons is that cheese produced in Switzerland is more expensive "due to the high production costs, as well as the superior quality of Swiss milk and dairy products," according to Reto Burkhardt, spokesperson for Swiss Milk Producers.
This growing tendency to buy dairy products abroad is “jeopardising the Swiss cheese industry, as cheese making is the real engine of the Swiss dairy economy,” he pointed out.
Drug shortage is getting worse
The shortage of medicines is not new but it is continuing to impact Switzerland.
Industry experts are blaming supply chains for this problem.
“The countries on which Switzerland is dependent for certain substances, mostly in Asia, have reduced their exports, sometimes even stopping them altogether," said Martine Ruggli-Ducrot, president of Pharmasuisse, the umbrella organization for pharmaceutical industry.
There is also a problem with packaging materials, such as glass bottles, which are mainly produced in Ukraine, Ruggli-Ducrot said. "In addition, some Swiss companies sometimes refrain from marketing drugs that have become too expensive for them to produce."
She added that "it is essential to diversify production, so that Europe becomes more independent when there are problems in the supply chains abroad"
READ ALSO:What medicines you could struggle to find in Switzerland right now
Major schedule changes on Swiss railway network from next week
From Monday August 14th until Saturday December 9th, 2023, there will be some changes in the SBB timetable, mostly affecting French-speaking Switzerland.
They are caused by works on rail lines, the company announced.
Journeys to and from the Geneva airport will be particularly impacted.
These are the trains most affected by timetable changes:
- InterCity 1 (Geneva-Airport - Bern - Zurich HB - St-Gall)
- InterRegio 15 (Geneva-Airport - Lausanne - Bern – Lucerne
- InterRegio 90 trains (Geneva-Airport - Lausanne - Brig) will no longer stop in Nyon and Morges
Also, for InterCity 1 trains, journey times for the longest journeys are increased by approximately 15 minutes.
For InterRegio 15 trains, journey times for the longest journeys are increased by approximately nine minutes.
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
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Swiss cheese can no longer compete with foreign one
As has already been reported, this year Switzerland is for the first time importing more cheese than it exports.
At least part of the blame for this development lies with Swiss consumers, who are turning to cheaper imported products to save money.
One of the reasons is that cheese produced in Switzerland is more expensive "due to the high production costs, as well as the superior quality of Swiss milk and dairy products," according to Reto Burkhardt, spokesperson for Swiss Milk Producers.
This growing tendency to buy dairy products abroad is “jeopardising the Swiss cheese industry, as cheese making is the real engine of the Swiss dairy economy,” he pointed out.
Drug shortage is getting worse
The shortage of medicines is not new but it is continuing to impact Switzerland.
Industry experts are blaming supply chains for this problem.
“The countries on which Switzerland is dependent for certain substances, mostly in Asia, have reduced their exports, sometimes even stopping them altogether," said Martine Ruggli-Ducrot, president of Pharmasuisse, the umbrella organization for pharmaceutical industry.
There is also a problem with packaging materials, such as glass bottles, which are mainly produced in Ukraine, Ruggli-Ducrot said. "In addition, some Swiss companies sometimes refrain from marketing drugs that have become too expensive for them to produce."
She added that "it is essential to diversify production, so that Europe becomes more independent when there are problems in the supply chains abroad"
READ ALSO:What medicines you could struggle to find in Switzerland right now
Major schedule changes on Swiss railway network from next week
From Monday August 14th until Saturday December 9th, 2023, there will be some changes in the SBB timetable, mostly affecting French-speaking Switzerland.
They are caused by works on rail lines, the company announced.
Journeys to and from the Geneva airport will be particularly impacted.
These are the trains most affected by timetable changes:
- InterCity 1 (Geneva-Airport - Bern - Zurich HB - St-Gall)
- InterRegio 15 (Geneva-Airport - Lausanne - Bern – Lucerne
- InterRegio 90 trains (Geneva-Airport - Lausanne - Brig) will no longer stop in Nyon and Morges
Also, for InterCity 1 trains, journey times for the longest journeys are increased by approximately 15 minutes.
For InterRegio 15 trains, journey times for the longest journeys are increased by approximately nine minutes.
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
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