Grazing for the Future: Swiss Lessons in Low-Carbon Beef

May 2026 | Hybu Cig Cymru/Meat Promotion Wales Scholarship

By Ben James

I've just returned from five days in Switzerland as part of my Hybu Cig Cymru/Meat Promotion Wales scholarship, examining practical solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in pasture-based red meat production. Switzerland may not be the first country that comes to mind for beef farming, but what I found was a farming community doing some of the most innovative and honest work on climate and livestock production I've encountered. Here's what I saw:

Agroscope — AgroForageTree Project, Drought Trials and the Morpho 3D Scanner

My first visit was to Agroscope, where researchers presented three areas of work — the AgroForageTree project, drought-adapted forage mixture trials at their Neuenmatt site, and the Morpho 3D cattle scanner.

The AgroForageTree project is studying five fodder tree species - white mulberry, Italian alder, small-leaved lime, goat willow and manna ash, across different altitudes and climates. The nutritional results from August were instructive. Most species were performing around the minimum crude protein threshold for pasture forages - acceptable but unremarkable. White mulberry stood apart on both key measures - the highest crude protein content (22%) and digestibility of 67%. For red meat producers considering tree integration into grazing systems, this is a significant finding.

On methane, the results were striking. In vitro trials (simulating digestion in a lab setting using rumen fluid rather than live animals) showed that when willow leaves made up 60% of the diet alongside hay, methane production fell by 27% compared to a hay-only diet. Notably, meaningful reductions were also observed at lower inclusion rates, with 20% willow in the diet achieving an 11% reduction. While live animal trials will be needed to validate these findings in a real production context, the direction of travel is significant.  Animal trials will be the necessary next step to validate these findings in a live production context, but the potential of willow as a methane mitigation tool, requiring no pharmaceutical intervention and no additional infrastructure, is significant for pasture-based systems.

The drought trial work at Neuenmatt is directly relevant to the question of how pasture-based red meat systems maintain forage productivity as summers become drier. Researchers have been simulating drought conditions by covering trial plots with polytunnels to exclude all rainfall during the second growing period. Mixtures containing drought-resistant species - including ribwort plantain, red fescue and birdsfoot trefoil, maintained better yields under these conditions than standard commercial mixtures. However the protein picture is more nuanced. Standard mixtures consistently produced higher protein content, and adding drought-resistant species reduced protein levels across the board. For finishing systems where forage quality drives performance, managing this trade-off will be an increasingly important practical challenge.

Also on show was the Morpho 3D scanner - a walk-through body scanning system for cattle that creates a full 3D model of each animal instantly, measuring height, width, circumference and abdominal volume with precision. Body condition scoring has always been a subjective and operator-dependent process. This removes that subjectivity entirely, allowing consistent, repeatable assessment across a whole herd with no handling stress for the animal. The potential applications for monitoring the impact of dietary or management changes on body condition over time are considerable.

Hof Adlerzart, Oberrüti — Closed System, Agroforestry and Circular economy 

Visiting Hof Adlerzart was one of the highlights of the week. Pirmin Adler farms 22 hectares in Aargau with a closed herd of 25 Limousin suckler cows calving mainly in spring. All cattle are finished off grass alone at 22 months, then slaughtered, butchered and packaged within a 10km radius of the farm. No inputs have been bought onto the farm in four years. It is as close to a truly closed, self-sufficient red meat system as I have seen in practice.

The second enterprise is dual-purpose Bresse Gauloise poultry who are productive as layers, and when output drops, finished for meat. Nothing is wasted. The birds roam freely alongside the hedgerows and pastures in a mobile shelter system that moves around the farm. Pirmin also grows a fava bean intercrop - part harvested fresh for the chickens in season, the rest conserved for winter feeding. Again, nothing wasted.

The agroforestry element sits within a broader philosophy of diversity and self-sufficiency. In 2022 Pirmin planted approximately 1,500 woody plants across more than 20 species in one kilometre of hedgerows across his pastures. The cattle graze alongside them freely, self-selecting leaves, bark and shrubs according to their own instincts. Pirmin describes it as a natural self-service pharmacy providing minerals, medicinal compounds and aromatic flavours that support immune health, particularly in younger stock.

Pirmin won the Prix Climat 2025 - Switzerland's national climate farming award. The lesson from Adlerzart is not that every farm needs to replicate this model. It is that a genuine commitment to self-sufficiency, observation and diversity produces something resilient and distinctive.

Hof Grava, Paspels — Organic Production, Gran Alpin and Climate Neutral Farming

The Obrecht family farms in Paspels, Graubünden represent a different but equally compelling model. Two farms run together across 90 hectares, reaching up to 1,600 metres altitude, in the family for 102 years and certified organic for 30 of them.

The beef finishing system is grass-based and data-driven. Limousin and Angus yearlings are bought in at around 350kg and finished off grass alone to 550-600kg liveweight, achieving 280-300kg deadweight at H3 (EUROP R3)  grade. The difference in performance between the two breeds is notable and practically significant. Angus achieving 1kg per day liveweight gain compared to 700-800g per day for Limousin, with both breeds finished at 22 months. Every animal is weighed monthly without exception, with decisions on feed management and slaughter timing made entirely from live performance data. No bought concentrates. No fertiliser. No chemicals.

The arable enterprise adds an important dimension. Wheat, barley and rye are grown organically and sold through Gran Alpin, a cooperative of organic mountain farmers in Graubünden dedicated to producing and marketing certified organic alpine grain for human consumption. The cooperative handles processing and marketing collectively, allowing member farms to diversify income, add value to their grain and retain margin within the region rather than selling into a commodity market. It is a strong model of farmer collaboration delivering both environmental and economic benefit.

On climate, the farms are part of the Climate Neutral Agriculture Graubünden pilot - one of 50 farms working together to measure and reduce their carbon footprint. The total farm carbon balance, assessed under the WorldClimate-Farm Standard, is -82.9 tonnes CO₂ equivalent per year, accounting for agricultural production, their own woodland and on-farm solar generation. Christian Obrecht was direct on the central point: livestock farming alone cannot reach climate neutrality. The whole farm has to be in the picture. But what struck me as much as the data was Christian's personal motivation for the journey. He spoke openly about the pilot being a genuine opportunity to think differently, to step back from the day-to-day and reassess how the farm works, and above all to learn from other farmers facing the same challenges. Not a top-down scheme but a community of farmers being honest with each other. That combination of personal conviction and peer learning culture felt like one of the most practically useful models of the week — and a reminder that the how of change matters as much as the what. 

Beef Cattle Switzerland — Market, Production and Climate

I was lucky enough to have a conversation with Daniel Flückiger, Managing Director of Beef Cattle Switzerland the industry body responsible for herd books across more than 40 breeds, the Natura-Beef and Natura-Veal brands, farmer education and government lobbying.

The market position of Natura-Beef is remarkable. Sixty percent of all beef sold through Coop (Switzerland's largest retailer) is Natura-Beef, their suckler cow product where calves remain with their mothers on milk to the last day before weaning at 10 months to then enter the food chain. The number one reason Swiss consumers choose it is animal welfare. For those making the case for high welfare, pasture-based red meat production, this is a powerful and important data point.

On climate the conversation was frank. Zero emissions from livestock production is not achievable. Switzerland's own legal definition of Net Zero accepts a 40% reduction by 2050, with the remaining 60% formally recognised as unavoidable. The focus is on accurate measurement and targeted reduction, using science-based tools to calculate emissions per kilogram of product and identify where the most effective interventions lie.

The question that stayed with me longest: there is political pressure in Switzerland to reduce livestock numbers as a climate measure. But what happens to the Alpine pastures that depend entirely on grazing animals to be maintained? Grass-fed beef is not simply a food product. It is a land management tool. Remove the cattle and you lose the landscape. It is a tension that will be immediately familiar to anyone working in upland pasture-based livestock farming in Wales.

Reflections

The farmers and researchers doing the most credible work on climate in pasture-based livestock systems are not searching for a single solution. They are pulling multiple levers - tree integration, solar energy, slurry management, soil health, breed selection, finishing system design, cooperative marketing - and measuring the results with discipline and honesty.

The willingness to acknowledge complexity was equally striking. Livestock farming cannot be climate neutral on its own. There are genuine trade-offs between drought resilience and forage quality, between reducing animal numbers and maintaining landscapes, between what is measurable today and what is not. Honest engagement with that complexity feels like the most productive starting point for the conversations that matter.

There is much here that is directly relevant to Wales — around whole-farm carbon accounting, the role of trees in grazing systems, grassland species diversity, finishing efficiency and the value of farmer-to-farmer peer learning.

Next month I visit Ireland and look forwards to continue connecting with farmers and professionals who are at the forefront of this topic 

This visit was undertaken as part of a Hybu Cig Cymru/Meat Promotion Wales scholarship examining practical solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in pasture-based red meat production.