Switzerland's Gruyère producers are cutting cheese production for a second straight year and scrambling to find new buyers abroad. These actions follow a fresh US tariff on Swiss cheese that climbed to 12.5% this week. Reuters reported Friday, 24 July 2026, citing the Interprofession du Gruyère.
Key Facts
- Up from 10% last year, the new US tariff on Swiss cheese reached 12.5% this week.
- Gruyère output has been trimmed 5% for a second straight year to avoid a stock surplus.
- The US market has traditionally accounted for about 13% of Gruyère sales.
In the mountain pastures above Moléson-sur-Gruyères, cheesemaker Alexandre Murith spends the summer tending the cows that supply milk for Gruyère. He's watching a market shift he can't easily influence. The production cuts are meant to avoid a stock surplus and hold prices steady, he said. They aren't about discounting cheese just to move it.
Why the US Tariff on Swiss Cheese Increased to 12.5%
The increase traces to a change in the legal basis Washington uses to tax Swiss goods. A 10% additional tariff on Swiss imports took effect in February 2026 under Section 122 of the US Trade Act. This is according to Switzerland's State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, or SECO.
SECO says the US replaced that rate on July 24, 2026, with a new tariff of up to 12.5% under Section 301. The new tariff follows a separate US investigation into goods made with forced labor. The new rate is offset by existing most-favored-nation duties, so the actual add-on varies by product.
Gruyère Producers Cut Output for a Second Year
Producers' association Interprofession du Gruyère responded to the pressure by trimming production 5%, Reuters reported. The move was meant to avoid a stock surplus, not signal falling demand for the cheese itself.
The lower-altitude variety of Gruyère, the type most heavily exported, has held that 5% cut for a second consecutive season. The variety Murith makes at higher altitude was spared a cut for the coming season, though producers on both sides say the reduction has hit hard.
Replacing the US Market Won't Happen Overnight
The US has traditionally accounted for about 13% of Gruyère sales, per Reuters. That makes it one of the cheese's most important single markets. The dependence compounds a broader export slide: Gruyère exports fell 7.4% in 2025.
The decline was concentrated in the American market, according to the Interprofession du Gruyère's June 19 update to its members. Exports make up about 40% of total Gruyère production, with roughly a third of that volume historically bound for the US.
Domestic Swiss demand has cushioned some of the impact. Consumption inside Switzerland accounts for about 60% of total volume. It rose 2.5% to a record 19,131 tonnes in 2025, the association said.
Domestic strength doesn't replace the export revenue at stake. Cheesemakers say finding new buyers abroad will take years, not months.
Gruyère's export volume fell 7.4% in 2025. Domestic Swiss consumption rose 2.5% to a record 19,131 tonnes over the same period, according to the Interprofession du Gruyère. The gap shows Gruyère leaning harder on its home market as its most important export outlet pulls back.
"The United States is a massive market with high purchasing power," cheese trader Anthony Margot told Reuters. He said the US can't be replaced overnight. Cheesemakers are actively scouting new markets elsewhere, he added, though doing so takes time and money.
