WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/AG/N/CHE/35/Rev.1 
4 April 2007 
 
 (07-1405) 
Committee on Agriculture Original:   French 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
Revision
 
  
 The following submission, dated 28 March 2007, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of Switzerland .  The revised notification concerns  new or modified domestic support 
measures exempt from reduction ( Table DS:2 ). 
 G/AG/N/CHE/35/Rev.1 
Page 2  
 
  Table DS:2 
 
DOMESTIC SUPPORT:   Switzerland-Liechtenstein 
 
Notification under Article 18.3 of th e Agreement:  New or Modified 
Domestic Support Measures Exempt from Reduction 
 
 
 
 
(1) Full title of measure: 
 
 Contributions paid following certain severe weather conditions  form part of the land 
improvement payments allocated by the Confed eration.  The contributions are ordinarily 
destined for the renovation of rural engineering works such as farm road s, bridges, cableways 
for the transportation of equipment and wate r conduits, i.e. works which in "production 
factor" terms amount to basic agricultural infrastru cture.  The contributions are also allocated 
for the rehabilitation of cultivated land follow ing a rockfall or landslide.  All such works 
come under the category of structural improvements to agriculture. 
 
(2) Domestic legislation reference: 
 
Federal Law on Agriculture of 29 April 1998 (L.Agr.;  No. in the Recueil Systématique  
("Systematic Compendium" – Official Compila tion of Federal Laws):  RS 910.1 (April 98), 
Art. 95.3). 
 
(3) Detailed description of measure with reference to criteria:  
 
The measure involves general services:  (g) Infr astructural services:  structural improvements, 
including land improvements (in general and in the event of severe weather conditions). 
  The contributions are allocated following an order that the Federal Council issues when it 
considers that land improvements (with a contri bution supplement) are necessary to remedy 
the particularly serious conseque nces of exceptional natural events. 
  The supplementary amount for severe weather conditions is included in the total amount 
under paragraph 2(g). 
 
 The contributions are allocated to the cantons for the provision of general services;  there are 
no direct payments to producers. 
 
(4) Cost of measure: 
  Up to 20 per cent (supplement rate) of the cost (of renovation) for land improvements to 
remedy the particularly serious consequences of exceptional natural events, should equitable 
support from the canton, communes and public funds prove insufficient to finance the necessary works. 
 
(5) Date of entry into force: 
 
 From 1952 to 1998, the legal basis was the following:  Article 2 of the Federal Order of 
28 March 1952 concerning the allocation of su bsidies for land improvements made necessary  G/AG/N/CHE/35/Rev.1 
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  by damage caused by the elements (Ger man title:  Bundesbeschluss vom 28. März 1952 über 
die Bundesbeiträge an die durch Naturereigni sse bedingten Meliorationen).  The order was 
repealed with the entry into force of the new Law on Agriculture, Article 95.3 of which has 
been the legal basis since 1999. 
 (6) Application period: 
 
 From time to time, following an exceptiona l natural event with particularly serious 
consequences. 
 (7) Products to principally benefit (if any individual product(s)): 
 
 Support is provided not for products but for the renovation of basic infrastructure, which has 
no direct link with products. 
 
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