Two Strong Partners for the Future of Vegan Agriculture: For this year’s World Vegan Day, V-Label, together with Biocyclic Vegan International and its label organization Biocyclic Vegan Label Ltd. (BVL), is launching a new chapter in the history of sustainable agriculture: the “V-Label Vegan Agriculture”.
This new label version marks an important step toward a fully vegan value chain. It brings together Biocyclic Vegan International’s expertise in biocyclic vegan agriculture with the global reputation and decades of experience of the V-Label in product certification.
A Milestone for a Young Movement
Vegan agriculture is growing, but it remains a pioneering movement. Switzerland, in particular, has a long tradition in this field: as early as the 1920s, Mina Hofstetter converted her farm near Lake Greifensee to a vegan organic operation, laying the foundation for a movement that is now regaining significance. With this new label version, vegan agriculture gains the visibility and credibility it deserves.¹
Axel Anders, co-founder of Biocyclic Vegan International, emphasizes:
“We are very pleased to join forces with V-Label, as we share the same commitment to a truly sustainable, plant-based, and regenerative food system. Extending the V-Label beyond product ingredients to agricultural production is a logical step towards consistently vegan value chains. This partnership combines our expertise in biocyclic vegan agriculture with V-Label’s international recognition and will make vegan farming more visible, transparent and trustworthy for consumers worldwide.”
From Seed to Shelf
While the V-Label has been ensuring transparency and trust among consumers for around 30 years, Biocyclic Vegan International brings in-depth knowledge of vegan agriculture with its globally applicable Biocyclic Vegan Guidelines, an established control and certification system, and the Biocyclic Vegan Quality Seal. Together, the two organizations are bridging the gap between agriculture and the market, giving farms that operate without livestock and animal-based inputs a strong voice.
Positive feedback is already coming from the first licensed farms:
Christian Mächler, founder of Solawi Halde in Altendorf, Switzerland, says:
“As a vegan organic vegetable producer, we know that responsibility starts with the soil. The new V-Label for vegan agriculture helps us communicate our principles clearly and continue pursuing a consistently sustainable path together.”
Bruno Graf, managing director of Ferme du Château in Payerne, Switzerland, adds:
“The cooperation between Biocyclic Vegan International and the V-Label is an important step toward the empowerment of vegan agriculture. We are proud and delighted that our efforts are now being recognized by a large and growing community. The V-Label’s visibility will undoubtedly help promote vegan agriculture in Switzerland, Europe, and internationally.”
Jakob Mannherz, Director of Moosfeld Gemüse GmbH in Singen, Germany, continues:
“By labeling unprocessed agricultural products with the V-Label, attention is drawn to the issue of using animal-based inputs in primary production. Biocyclic Vegan, for me, is the new gold standard in organic vegetable farming. The V-Label underscores that.”
Those who wish to try the biocyclic vegan products of these pioneers can find them on the companies’ websites.
A Signal for World Vegan Day
The introduction of this new label comes at a time when the importance of sustainable and animal-free agriculture is increasing, even if we are still far from a frozen pizza made entirely from ingredients grown under certified vegan agriculture. Still, global developments show how urgently agriculture needs to rethink its practices. Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of rising resistance to common antibiotics, a problem closely linked to intensive animal farming and the excessive use of antibiotics in agriculture.² Through the fertilization of vegetables and salads with manure from animal farming, such antibiotic-resistant bacteria can also enter plant-based food.
Renato Pichler, founder of the V-Label, explains:
“Now is the right time to make vegan agriculture more visible. With its deep agricultural expertise, Biocyclic Vegan International is the ideal partner for us. The ‘V-Label Vegan Agriculture’ combines innovation with responsibility and demonstrates that a future-oriented agriculture without animal exploitation is possible.”
About the V-Label and Swissveg
Swissveg is the largest interest group representing vegetarians and vegans in Switzerland and founder of the V-Label. With over 70,000 licensed products worldwide, the label has stood for transparency and trust in the plant-based sector for three decades.
The new V-Label Vegan Agriculture extends this approach to the agricultural level, supporting the development of consistently vegan and sustainable food production.
Press photos available at: Drive
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Press Contact:
Lubomir Yotov, lubomir.yotov(@)v-label.com, +41 71 477 33 78, Head of V-Label Switzerland
- Moser, P. (2024). Mina Hofstetter: Eine ökofeministische Pionierin des biologischen Landbaus. München: Oekom Verlag.
- World Health Organization. (2025, October 13). WHO warns of widespread resistance to common antibiotics worldwide.
Interview with the son of Mina Hofstetter (in German).
