Meteorologists have confirmed it: the summer of 2026 was the hottest on record in Switzerland, that is, since 1864. Extreme heat and weeks of severe drought. The Swiss Farmers’ Union estimates that total losses to the Swiss agricultural sector this year are around 500 million francs. This figure has a direct impact on what you pay at the till, and the effects will be felt this autumn.
Potatoes are the first product confirmed to have been affected: the 2026 harvest is 20 per cent below the average for the last six years. Many tubers were damaged by the heat and drought. The price rise has been confirmed, although exact figures are not yet available. Crisps and chips produced in Switzerland will also be smaller and more expensive. Milk and dairy products – yoghurt, butter, cheese – will rise by at least 4 centimes per kilo. The reason is that many Swiss farms ran out of hay this summer to feed their cows; some had to cull part of their herd, and milk production has fallen.
And it’s not just the supermarket. Petrol is also more expensive because the water level of the Rhine has fallen so much due to the drought that tankers cannot sail up the river from the North Sea ports to Basel as normal. Heating oil is more than 30 per cent more expensive than a year ago, for the same reason. In theory, prices in Switzerland are already high. In practice, they are set to rise a little further this autumn.