“Finally Olma again” – opening with Federal President Parmelin

The 78th Swiss Agriculture and Food Fair opened its doors in St. Gallen under the motto “Finally Olma again”.

The public fair creates and strengthens “the connection between old and young, between town and country, within agriculture and between agriculture and consumers,” said Parmelin on Thursday at the festive Olma opening in St. Gallen Tonhalle.

The votes on the pesticide initiatives in June would have made the exchange on agricultural issues more difficult. “Trenches were opened.” Now it is a matter of getting closer to each other again, said the Federal President and Agriculture Minister.

During the Corona crisis, part of the population changed their consumption behavior. Local, high-quality products are in enormous demand. According to Parmelin, the pandemic also showed “how crisis-resistant the Swiss agriculture and food industry is”.

On global warming, Parmelin said: “This year we felt something could happen more often and more violently in the future. ” Agriculture is affected by the change, in part it is causing it, but it can also be part of the solution, for example through its ability to store carbon and thus contribute to the net zero goal.

Encounters and business

Olma director Christine Bolt also emphasized the importance of personal encounters at Olma. “For a sustainable customer relationship, people have to meet”. The fair was founded “to do business with each other and to do business”.

After the opening in the Tonhalle, the Federal President let himself be guided through the exhibition halls. The photo session with the Olma-Säuli was not to be missed.

During eleven days, around 400 exhibitors show their products, and as always there are animal demonstrations and special shows. Because of the pandemic, there are around a third fewer exhibitors than in 2019. The organizers also expect 20 to 30 percent fewer visitors.

With certificate, without mask

Access to the area is only granted to those who have been vaccinated, recovered and tested with a certificate. There is neither a mask requirement nor distance rules in the halls. According to Christine Bolt, Olma is well prepared for this with three test centers in Breitfeld, at the St. Fiden train station and at the Olma area.

Presented under the motto “Bock auf Schaffhausen” the host canton – but without the traditional parade through St. Gallen city center on the first Saturday of Olma. The pillar races, which are popular with the public, take place in the arena every afternoon.

The Olma has been held in St. Gallen since 1943 and is the largest public exhibition in Switzerland. In 2019 there were 363,000 visitors and 600 exhibitors. In 2020 the fair was canceled. A new hall is currently being built for 163 million francs on a 200-meter-long “cover” over the city motorway.