This video, which I shot this morning in the outskirts of Gstaad, shows how well cows live in Switzerland. And it shouldn't surprise you, since in Switzerland, according to the Becker-Posner Blog, 68% of farmer's income comes in the form of a government subsidy. Is this a problem?
Considering that a billion of people on this planet live on less than a dollar a day and Swiss cows are getting 5 times that I think it is. We can't seriously argue that we are fighting global poverty and subsidize food like this crowding out farmers in LDCs. The average European cow gets $2.7 per day, and Swiss cows get much more than that. Here's another interesting article on subsidies and how unfair their distribution is.
While most Europeans believe that food subsidies go to the average farmers, the truth is that a few big farms and businesses are getting most of these handouts. Now while this aid to the well off may not be fair, nor the arguments that the Swiss use to justify subsidies (that they would like to be self sufficient in beef in case WWIII starts), it is GREAT to be a cow in Switzerland. As you can see in this video they get massage machines, panoramic views, indoor heating, and other benefits unknown to a lot of humanity.
If you understand Spanish here's a similar article but the video has a special star who does not appear in the English version.