State semen: The federal government wants to save money on stallions

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They are called Netflix de Wallenried, Harry Potter de la Grand-Fin or Don Adonis. The federal government owns 60 Freiberger stallions. He sells the semen of the horses to breeders with the aim of guaranteeing the preservation of the only Swiss horse breed. It costs 100 to 200 francs to have a mare inseminated by a federal stallion – the so-called breeding fee.

But the federal government’s austerity efforts do not stop at the national stud farm in Avenches VD. To save costs, the Agroscope research institute wants to reduce the number of federal stallions from 60 to 45 by 2030. It recently decided to do so.

6 million for the national stud farm

Agroscope reports that the stallion population is declining due to “natural departure”. This means: Animals that are too old for breeding or are sick will no longer be replaced. Tax money will also be used in the future to purchase young stud stallions. But less than before. The federal government wants to save almost half a million francs annually in the coming years. This with an annual budget for the stud farm of 5.6 million francs.

The savings plans are causing criticism – not only from the Freiberger Horse Association, which has therefore intervened with the federal government. “The national stud farm is of great importance for the promotion and preservation of the breed,” says Pauline Queloz (33), director of the Freiberger Association.

“The race is being weakened”

The Jura government also expressed its concerns about the stallion removal in a statement. After all, the Freiberger population has been declining for years. The Jura is home to the Freibergers; The national horse show, the Marché Concours, takes place here every year.

The breed is not in danger in the short term, responsible government councilor Jacques Gerber (50) tells Blick. However, fewer stallions would lead to a reduction in the genetic diversity of the breed. Moreover, horse owners would become discouraged. There is a risk that stallion prices will drop because the federal government actually determines prices today. “In the medium and long term, the decline in stallion purchases by the stud farm will weaken the breed rather than strengthen it,” says Gerber. The canton demands that the authorities go through the books again.

The cutback plans for federal stallions have also been a topic of discussion in parliament. Bernese SVP National Councilor Ernst Wandfluh (47) wanted to know from the Federal Council how he sees the future of the national stud farm. Agriculture Minister Guy Parmelin (64) assured that despite the stallion reduction, it could “fully fulfill the tasks assigned to it in the future”.

Upon request, Agroscope stated that they will continue to freeze stallion semen to ensure the genetic diversity of the breed. The federal government also wants to promote artificial insemination.

Opposition to abolition

Yet SVP Council Member Wandfluh believes that we should keep an eye on the federal government. The national stud farm, which was founded at a time when horses still pulled plows in the fields, has been the target of austerity measures several times. In the early 1990s, the then Minister of Finance Otto Stich (SP, 1927-2012) wanted to stop federal funds; about twenty years later, the liberal Hans-Rudolf Merz (81) dared to try it. But Parliament fought back. Instead of closing down or privatizing the stud farm, she did the opposite: she enshrined the continued existence of federal stallions in law.

Nowadays, horse breeders can also count on support from the Federal Council. Environment Minister Albert Rösti (56) was chairman of the Freiberger Association until his election to the Federal Council. Today he is honorary chairman. But even Rösti could not save the federal stallions from the austerity hammer.

Source:Blick