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T/I 10:21:43 SWISS RANCHERS FARM BISON Switzerland Eng. Comm. Duration: 1.22" Once hunted almost to extinction, the North American bison, commonly known as the buffalo, is being raised by Swiss ranchers, who hope buffalo meat will become a viable commercial venture in their country. Many Swiss farmers dismiss the project as "madness", but Laurent Giradet, who studied buffalo raising in the United States and in Canada, and a small group of like-minded farmers, have now formed their own Swiss Buffalo Raisers Association. The "Swiss" buffalo are purchased from vast American ranches in the American West. Strict government quotas restrict imports to small numbers each year and herds are small compared to the American farms. Girardet's farm, near Geneva, has only 55 animals, but he hopes to start making profits on meat sales in about five years after building up stock numbers through a breeding programme. Land is expensive in Switzerland, but the buffalo don't need a great deal of attention. They feed on grass in the summer and cereals in the winter. It can cost up to $US3,000 to purchase a buffalo and import it from the United States. American buffalo once roamed over much of North America but were subjected to such wholesale slaughter in the 19th century they came very close to extinction. After new laws were passed at the end of the last century the population rose from a few hundred to more than 20,000. SHOWS: Bison in field as aircraft approaches landing. Bison grazing. CU bison head. Bison running in field. Bison rolling. Farmer Laurent Girardet feeding animals in field. SOT: Girardet (French): "At the moment we have about 65 and we aim to reach 100. Our first worry now is to find some cheap land, either in Switzerland or in France, in order that we can expand our operations." CU steaks prepared in restaurant. WS chef prepares steak. WS people dining on buffalo steak in restaurant. CU woman eating. CU buffalo steak on plate. Bison in field with hay. MS bison feeding. Bison shaking head in hay. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/445fdafd4a213ecd27e3dbac6760643d Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork