Swiss, please.

• Author: Walker, Jesse
• Position: Free trade in cheese - Swiss cheese trade - Brief article

SWITZERLAND and the European Union have torn down the dairy curtain that blocked free trade in cheese. Under the agreement, first negotiated 10 years ago but in full effect only since June, Switzerland has repealed the tariffs that hiked the prices of cheeses made elsewhere in Europe. It also has removed the export subsidies that made its own cheeses cheaper outside Swiss territory.

This is significant not just for Swiss shoppers who prefer Gorgonzola to Emmental. Switzerland, The Economist notes, is the "home not just of serious cheese, but also of one of the world's most protected farm sectors." The Swiss, the magazine continues, hope that "a focus on choosy foreign buyers may turn out to be the best way to safeguard traditional producers." Instead of competing on price, Swiss producers will compete on...