Guild members are invited to apply for a place on a visit to Switzerland this autumn, courtesy of the Swiss Agricultural Journalists’ Association.
High standards in production, animal welfare and environmental regulation have not stopped Swiss consumers exercising their right to question agricultural production and farming techniques through the country’s many referendums.
The Swiss Agricultural Journalists Association (Schweizer Agrarjournalisten, SAJ) has invited members of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) and European Network of Agricultural Journalists (ENAJ) to join them in investigating the issue and to discuss perspectives from different countries.
The media tour takes place between 27-30 September 2018.
Guild members are eligible to apply for a place on the tour because the British guild is affiliated to both the IFAJ and ENAJ.
Two seminars and debates will be held during the tour: ‘Consumer Criticism Questions Food Security & Sustainability’ and ‘Consumer acceptance is basic for the future of agriculture and food production’.
The tour will incorporate elements of classic Swiss agriculture, including visits to alpine farms, cheese makers and the prestigious Swiss Cheese Awards.
Those attending will also have the opportunity to participate in the famous annual Entlebucher Alpabfahrt, as animals are brought down from the mountains after summer grazing.
Delegates will hear about ‘climate-friendly’ milk, the challenges of the Swiss milk market, what separates a good cheese from a great cheese – and how music influences cheese.
Thanks to generous sponsorship, there are no costs for the tour but participants will be expected to cover their own travel expenses.
For full details, and to apply for one of the limited places available, please visit the registration site.
It would help if applicants also emailed the guild’s ENAJ representative Adrian Bell at adrian.bell@agromavens.com so the guild is aware who has applied.
