{
  "id": 6853393,
  "title": "Bauernpräsident Ritter pokert hoch: Eine halbe Milliarde ist für ihn das «absolute Minimum» für ein Ja zu Mercosur",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/12/bauernprasident-ritter-pokert-hoch-eine-halbe-milliarde-ist-fur-ihn",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-12T03:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "NZZ Wirtschaft",
    "slug": "nzz-wirtschaft",
    "url": "https://www.nzz.ch/wirtschaft/bauern-praesident-ritter-pokert-hoch-eine-halbe-milliarde-ist-fuer-ihn-das-absolute-minimum-fuer-ein-ja-zu-mercosur-ld.10023222"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "For Swiss exporters, trade with South America is important. A compromise proposal aims to save the agreement in the Council of States. However, no one is truly satisfied. Next Monday, the Council of States will discuss the Mercosur agreement, which the National Council rejected in the summer. If the agreement fails in the Council of States, it would be history in its current form. Swiss companies greatly value the Free Trade Agreement. Global geopolitical crises are increasing, supply chains are becoming disorganized, and American politics under President Donald Trump is more unpredictable than ever. Meanwhile, external pressure is growing. The European Union (EU) has also negotiated a Free Trade Agreement with the Mercosur countries, which has been in force since the end of May. This threatens Swiss firms to lag behind their European competitors. For companies, it is therefore crucial to open up as many new markets as possible. The Federal Council estimates that the Free Trade Agreement with the Mercosur countries would allow for customs savings of over 155 million Swiss francs per year for Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. However, the agreement was rejected by the National Council in June, with left-wing parliamentarians demanding environmental concerns and protection against forced labor. Farmers demanded compensation payments for additional agricultural imports from South America. The Federal Council offered compensation of a total of 158 million Swiss francs, which was far too little for Markus Ritter, a member of the Federal Council and president of the Farmers' Association. He claimed that agriculture could suffer losses of up to 115 million Swiss francs per year due to the Free Trade Agreement, mainly from the additional import of beef and wine from South America. Therefore, he demanded 880 million Swiss francs for his farmers. For the first time, the farmers' consent to a Free Trade Agreement was tied to a fixed price. In the Parliament, the farmers have a strong lobby. Ritter's demands appeared to be too high, as stated by Hans-Peter Portmann, an FDP National Council from Zurich during the debate in the National Council. Portmann called the farmers' 880-million-franc demand a \"legislative disaster.\" However, the agreement cannot succeed without the farmers. The Council of States is now expected to adopt a compromise package that saves the Mercosur agreement. Specifically, it provides 517 million Swiss francs for farmers, of which 480 million will be in the form of interest-free investment credits distributed through the cantons. To address the concerns of the left, the Federal Council is to regularly monitor whether the Mercosur countries comply with International Labour Organization rules on forced labor and protect the Amazon rainforest to the promised extent. This compromise has been introduced by St. Gallen's middle Council member Benedikt Würth. However, he is not entirely satisfied: \"If all groups insist on their maximum demands, such an agreement cannot be implemented,\" Würth told the NZZ. Despite this, the compromise has a good chance in the predominantly bourgeois Council of States. Nonetheless, many parliamentarians still have doubts about the approach of the alliance between the SVP and the left-green parties. Even Würth admits that \"the interconnections of so many particular interests with a Free Trade Agreement are problematic.\" He is also concerned about the reliability of Switzerland. If the Free Trade Agreement fails in Parliament, it would be difficult to justify internationally. The farmers remain resolute. The Farmers' Association calls the compromise package an \"absolute minimum solution\" in a statement and regrets that no unconditional contributions are provided. Due to the dry summer, additional funds for the farmers are urgently needed. The criticism of his demands is dismissed by the Farmers' Association: \"We seek a solution to make the agreement majority-friendly. For agricultural purposes, the disadvantages outweigh them very strongly,\" says Martin Rufer, Director of the Swiss Farmers' Association. The policy risks the electorate rejecting the Mercosur deal. Green-liberal Council member Tiana Angelina Moser expects a referendum against the Free Trade Agreement. The voting battle will not be easy, given the resistance from the left side, environmental organizations, and the farmers. Moser knows from experience. Five years ago, she strongly advocated for the trade agreement with Indonesia, which was only narrowly approved by 51 percent. Back then, the issue was palm oil. Now, it is the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest. This has mainly mobilized urban populations. She criticizes Würth's proposal: \"880 million Swiss francs for agriculture, while the Federal Council considers the impact of the Free Trade Agreement on farmers to be negligible, and at the same time, continues as before with the deforestation of the Amazon. This is not a balanced compromise.\"",
  "summary": "Für die Schweizer Exportwirtschaft ist der Handel mit Südamerika wichtig. Ein Kompromissvorschlag soll das Abkommen im Ständerat retten. Richtig zufrieden ist damit aber niemand.",
  "key_points": [
    "Swiss farmers demand 880 million Swiss francs for Mercosur agreement",
    "Federal Council offers 517 million Swiss francs in compromise package",
    "Farmers' association calls 880 million francs an \"absolute minimum\""
  ],
  "editors_take": "The compromise package to save the Mercosur agreement shifts the burden to farmers with interest-free investment credits, while partially addressing environmental concerns, but may still spark a referendum.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}