The animal protection debate is getting windy: Swiss voters will be asked to vote on two popular initiatives in the coming years.
This week, the Federal Chancellery announced that both the fur initiative and the foie gras initiative had been established.
The non-profit organization Alliance Animale Suisse is behind the concerns. More than twenty organizations, including all Swiss animal protection organizations, supported the two popular initiatives. They want to ban the import of both fur and foie gras from animal cruelty.
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The Fur Initiative calls for a ban on the import of fur products that come from abused animals. Cruelty-produced products include any fur obtained from fur farms that does not meet Swiss standards. There are currently no known fur farms abroad that meet Swiss standards.
As the initiators write, Switzerland imports around 350 tons of fur every year, half of which comes from China. As a result, about 1.5 million animals live painful lives. They are gassed, electrocuted or skinned alive. The “NZZ” even writes that approximately 1.7 million animals are killed in Switzerland every year.
Sales of fur products, such as coats, have fallen. However, according to Alliance Animale Suisse, fur is still common as an accessory (for example on gloves).
The initiators emphasize that the fur ban initiative is compatible with Switzerland’s international trade obligations. The processing of fur from Swiss farm animals or legally hunted game is excluded from the proposal.
A ban is not necessary, said Lucerne Central State Councilor Andrea Gmür-Schönenberger in May 2022. At the time, the Council of States rejected a motion for a ban on the import of fur from animal cruelty production by 25 votes to 19. The National The Council had previously accepted the proposal of SP national councilor Matthias Aebischer.
Gmür-Schönenberger argued that the market regulates itself. Wearing fur has become ‘completely uncool’ among young people. The then FDP State Councilor Ruedi Noser warned of problems with the implementation of a legal regulation. The problem mainly lies with small products. You simply cannot tell from the conditions under which they were produced.
The Federal Council, on the other hand, sees the need for action and is currently considering a complete ban on the import of fur from cruel agriculture. The Ministry of the Interior must develop a template by the end of March 2024.
The second initiative adopted this week calls for a ban on the import of foie gras (“foie gras”) and similar products obtained through force-feeding of animals.
In Switzerland, stuffing ducks and geese has been prohibited for more than forty years. However, Switzerland imports approximately 200 tons of foie gras annually. According to the initiators, 200,000 ducks and 12,000 geese will be crammed into narrow cages, force-fed several times a day and ultimately killed.
Only products derived from the liver of force-fed animals in livestock farming can be described as “foie gras”. The name “foie gras” is also protected, causing the price of foie gras to rise.
Excluded from the initiative are products that have similarities to foie gras, but the associated animals are not forcibly stuffed. The foie gras initiative is also in line with the trade agreements ratified by Switzerland.
The National Council has approved a proposal for a ban on the import of foie gras in 2022. However, the motion by SVP parliamentarian and farmer Martin Haab failed in the Council of States last summer. After an impasse, then council president Brigitte Häberli-Koller took the decisive decision and rejected the proposal.
The responsible committee and also the Federal Council said that an import ban went too far and amounted to a consumption ban. “Foie gras” is a socially anchored culinary tradition, especially in Western Switzerland. If a ban were introduced, the law would likely be circumvented through France. A ban is also contrary to international treaties.
The Council of States was of the opinion that a reporting obligation with regard to fattening was sufficient and sent the case back to the National Council. There, SP national councilor Roger Nordmann argued: “I can understand the arguments in the field of breeding and animal welfare. But I think there is still room for this exception.” His French party colleague Ada Marra said that the Romans do not forbid the German-speaking Swiss to eat apple sauce. Ultimately, a majority of the National Council also decided in favor of the weaker version with a reporting obligation.
What do you think of the import ban on fur products and foie gras? Are you for or against?
In collaboration with the social research institute DemoSCOPE, we want to know what the Swiss population thinks about the two topics. By participating in the two surveys you will help us paint a differentiated picture of the situation. Thank you!
Next week we will evaluate the research and present the results on watson.ch. Multiple participation is not permitted.
>>> Click here for the survey!
Source: Watson
I am Dawid Malan, a news reporter for 24 Instant News. I specialize in celebrity and entertainment news, writing stories that capture the attention of readers from all walks of life. My work has been featured in some of the world’s leading publications and I am passionate about delivering quality content to my readers.
