Uruguayan cheese could enter Switzerland at 0% tariff under Mercosur-EFTA agreement
The Swiss concession covers cheese originating in Mercosur that meets the agreement’s conditions. Uruguayan suppliers seeking to use the preference will have to satisfy the applicable sanitary, commercial and origin requirements and establish sales channels. Uruguay’s dairy industry is seeking a broader range of export destinations and reduced reliance on its principal overseas customers. Milk powder currently accounts for a prominent part of its international sales.
The agreement took effect between Uruguay and both Iceland and Norway on November 1st 2026. According to INALE’s assessment of the negotiated dairy provisions, those two markets offer limited immediate benefits for the sector. Iceland left dairy products outside the negotiations, while Norway granted almost no tariff preferences for them. EFTA’s membership also includes Liechtenstein, where implementation of the agreement remains pending.
Switzerland’s commitments extend beyond cheese to quotas for other dairy products originating in Mercosur. These include 300 tonnes of fresh milk and cream and 100 tonnes of butter and anhydrous milk fat. The negotiated provisions therefore provide separate access arrangements for several categories of dairy exports, alongside the tariff elimination for qualifying cheese.
A further shared quota provides special treatment for products including yoghurt, whey and certain categories of butter. Milk powder is excluded from general liberalisation, apart from two tariff lines covered by that shared quota. Access conditions consequently differ by product under the Swiss concessions.
Mercosur also made concessions to EFTA suppliers. INALE lists a cheese quota of 990 tonnes and an infant-formula quota of 50 tonnes. Tariffs on ice cream are to be reduced progressively over 15 years. These commitments form the other side of the agreement’s dairy-market access provisions and cover sales by EFTA countries into the regional market.
The agreement also provides protection for geographical indications. EFTA submitted eleven Swiss cheese names for protection, including Gruyère and Sbrinz, both of which are also used by certain Uruguayan producers. According to INALE, the treaty includes special conditions allowing established users to retain those names within Uruguay if they satisfy the specified prior-use requirements.
For Gruyère, eligible producers must have used the name before November 17th 2012; for Sbrinz, the corresponding cut-off is January 1st 2021. Producers meeting those conditions may continue using the respective names in Uruguay. The geographical-indication provisions will restrict use by new operators that do not qualify for the treaty’s exceptions.
