Fribourg dairy farmers are being forced to bring their cows down from the mountains months ahead of schedule, as the drought leaves nothing left to graze.
In La Roche, one farmer has already brought back 20 of his 40 cows after just a month on the mountain.
The descent normally happens in late September or early October. Hail cracked the grass in June, and the dry weather since has stopped it growing back.
The early return hits farmers twice: milk fetches less in the lowlands than at altitude, and they lose the government subsidies tied to alpine grazing.
Some are now selling cattle to shrink their herds, taking a loss of around CHF 1,000.- on each dairy cow as the market floods.
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