The Swiss electorate will be able to decide on two popular initiatives in the field of animal protection in the coming years. Two weeks ago, 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. He wants to ban the import of both fur and foie gras from animal cruelty.
As a representative survey by Watson shows, a clear majority of the Swiss population supports a ban on the import of fur products from abused animals.
There are significant differences in the import of foie gras, which is obtained by force-feeding animals. While the German-speaking Swiss population clearly supports a ban, two-thirds of French-speaking Switzerland are against such a ban.
The survey was conducted between February 23 and 27 in collaboration with the social research institute DemoSCOPE. 6,248 people participated; it is representative of German- and French-speaking Switzerland (more about the methodology at the end of the article).
The main findings of the study:
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. The initiators write that there are currently no known fur farms abroad that meet Swiss standards.
It is said that Switzerland imports around 350 tons of fur annually, 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 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.
The results of the Watson survey show that a majority of the Swiss population supports a ban on the import of fur. However, approval in German-speaking Switzerland is significantly higher at 93 percent (“More yes” and “Yes”) than in French-speaking Switzerland (71 percent).
The two language areas also show differences in terms of determination. In German-speaking Switzerland, only six percent chose the options ‘rather no’ and ‘more likely yes’. In French-speaking Switzerland that was 24 percent.
The breakdown by party proximity shows that the initiative can count on support from all political camps. Support is strongest among Green Party voters, with 97 percent saying “somewhat yes” or “yes” to a fur import ban. Approval is lowest among the FDP, at 71 percent.
Conversely, the strongest opposition (“no” and “rather no”) to the proposal can also be found among the FDP (28 percent). Almost every fourth person who votes for the SVP is against a ban on the import of fur (23 percent).
The participants were asked about the reasons for their approval or rejection of the initiative and were each able to rank six different arguments in order of importance.
Among participants who supported the initiative, the first reason most often mentioned was that the initiative reduced the suffering of animals – in all political camps this was the main argument.
This is followed by “Fur is not necessary” and “Fur comes from countries with little animal protection”. The outlier of the FDP electorate is interesting. In the liberal camp, “fur from countries with little animal protection” is the second most important reason for supporting the initiative.
The fact that fur is no longer fashionable plays a minor role among the participants in the study.
“I wasn’t aware of how deeply foie gras cuts into the DNA of the French,” Martin Haab said last year. At the time, a motion by the SVP parliamentarian in the National Council caused heated discussions. With a proposal, Haab called for an import ban on foie gras. Ultimately, Parliament simply adopted a declaration obligation with regard to the fattening of animal feed.
The oft-quoted Röstigraben also appears in Watson’s research – and how. While 89 percent in German-speaking Switzerland support a ban on the import of foie gras (“More yes” and “Yes”), 65 percent in French-speaking Switzerland reject this proposal (“No” and “Probably no”).
If you look at the evaluation per party, several interesting findings emerge. More than half of voters in the FDP camp – 56 percent – are against the initiative (“No” and “Probably No”). Then comes the support of the SVP with 38 percent.
In return, only 44 percent of the FDP camp is in favor of a ban on the import of foie gras (“More yes” and “Yes”). Support for the SVP is almost 20 percentage points higher (61 percent).
By far the most support for an import ban on foie gras comes from the Green camp (94 percent); for the SP this is 85 percent and for the Green Liberals 87 percent.
The research also shows that the opinions are current. Except for those who voted for the FDP, the combined value of ‘More No’ and ‘More Yes’ does not exceed ten percent for any party.
The research results are impressive as to the main reason for an import ban on foie gras. Animal welfare is central to all political camps; for no party is the value below 86 percent. All other reasons are only of secondary importance.
The two main reasons for the rejection of both initiatives are liberal in nature. The participants in the survey believe that a ban on the import of foie gras and fur does not belong in the constitution and that in general not everything needs to be regulated by the state.
Both popular initiatives were launched by the Alliance Animal Suisse association, which is supported by several animal protection organizations.
The similarity in content between the two templates is also reflected in the survey results. About 73 percent of participants support both the fur and foie gras initiatives. If you also include the people who chose ‘More Yes’ for one or both initiatives, the agreement is almost 77 percent.
7.5 percent of survey participants clearly reject both popular initiatives (“No”).
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.
