When you’re picking up a head of lettuce, loaf of bread or piece of meat from Switzerland in the supermarket, you will no doubt have seen it on the packaging: an illustrated ladybird next to the IP-SUISSE lettering. Behind this lucky little charm is an association of formidable size: IP-SUISSE is the “Swiss Association of Integrated Producing Farmers”, and it numbers around 18,500 IP-SUISSE members. These farmers – spread across all parts of the country – produce environmentally and animal-friendly food on their farms.

Increased cost of production

With its label, IP-SUISSE serves the needs of consumers who are conscious of domestic, sustainable and ethical production in their choice of agricultural foodstuffs, and who are prepared to dig a little deeper to cover its costs. But how do these additional costs come about? IP-SUISSE farms that keep cattle have to provide more stable space per animal than conventional farms, and the cattle sleep on straw rather than bare slatted floors. Straw is one of the biggest expenses, incurring an additional cost of around 70 francs per head. Then there are systems costing several thousand francs that are used to regularly clear out old straw. These infrastructure adjustments and the detailed husbandry and production requirements are defined in a comprehensive catalogue of requirements for the areas of animal husbandry, crop production, biodiversity and climate resource protection, and are reviewed on a regular basis. The consequence of regulated production is animal-friendly, healthy food, but also higher costs.

Fair compensation and sustainability for all

The additional costs are the subject of frequent price negotiations with the processing companies, such as mills or slaughterhouses, and in particular with the supermarket chains. IP-SUISSE works to ensure that the farmers at the beginning of the value chain receive fair compensation in the form of premiums for their raw materials and products – and for their efforts to promote biodiversity or climate-friendly production. René Humbel, responsible for finance and commercial affairs, says that “The focus of our work is always on the farmers, who should be paid fairly. And end consumers are also important to us – they should be able to buy animal-friendly and sustainable food at an affordable price.”

Administrative challenge

These efforts in the interests of nature, farms and the responsible-minded food for end consumers is coordinated at the IP-SUISSE headquarters in Zollikofen in Bern. “With limited resources and a small staff, we do everything we can to provide a good service for our 18,500 members as cost-effectively as possible,” says Humbel. Following proactive advice from PostFinance, the Zollikofen office recently replaced its outdated, time-consuming paper invoicing with an efficient Paper Bill and eBill solution. PostFinance supported the association’s future-oriented work with a service that makes its administrative processes more efficient in the long term.