Horse Raising
In Switzerland, the amount of horses has continually decreased since the end of the Second World War, parallel to the increasing mechanisation of agriculture and the army. For the last ten years, however, the trend has been reversed because horses are no longer work animals but are popular for leisure time and sports. Just as the demands for horses have undergone a change, so has the breeding purpose. Horses used in sports have been crossbred with thoroughbreds for some time and even heavy draught horses are bred to be lighter.
In Switzerland, consumption of horse meat has increased. At present, most meat consumed in Switzerland comes from overseas. For the last several years, farmers in the Jura region have increasingly reverted to horse production in order to cover at least part of the demand for Swiss horse meat.
