Most game meat comes from abroad

Swiss hobby hunters cannot meet demand

Autumn is game season: game meat finds its way onto Swiss plates almost exclusively during the last four months of the year.

The meat sold in retail, however, does not come from Swiss hobby hunting. The yields are too small for that; the hobby hunters consume the game themselves, sell it directly, or it goes into the restaurant trade.

Number of farmed animals has increased significantly

The meat in retail comes from farms. Swiss farmers keep sika, fallow, and red deer; there are also occasional reindeer farms. The number of farmed animals in Switzerland has grown over the years — for example, the number of fallow deer has doubled over the past 20 years to more than 10’000 animals.

High hurdles for farmers

The reasons why Swiss game meat remains in the minority and continues to be a niche product are varied. Per capita consumption of game last year stood at 480 grams, meaning game consumption is fundamentally a niche market.

Deer have been classified as agricultural livestock since the 1990s, yet at the same time as wild animals. Consequently, keeping them requires specialist training as well as a permit for keeping wild animals.

Austria is import country No. 1

Imports come predominantly from Europe. In 2022, according to the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security, traders imported 696 tonnes of game meat (excluding wild boar and hares) from Austria, 549 tonnes from Slovenia, and 490 tonnes from Germany. From overseas, the traditional game-exporting country New Zealand stands out with 378 tonnes of game meat.