Destroyed posters, death threats, stage cancellations: the voting campaign for the drinking water initiative was one of the dirtiest in Swiss political history. “After the vote on the drinking water initiative, I was completely devastated,” says Franziska Herren (56) to Blick. She launched the initiative and ended up in the line of fire: in an anonymous letter, someone even threatened to exterminate her family.
The initiative failed badly in the summer of 2021, men stepped back. “Now I’m taking a break, I want to catch my breath,” she told the “Bauernzeitung”. At that moment she could not imagine another referendum. “This initiative has asked so much of me.”
‘Feeling of powerlessness has grown’
But the break lasted only about a year and a half. Herren is now in the starting blocks with a new initiative. The Vegi initiative aims to encourage Swiss farmers to produce more vegetable products instead of animal products. This should raise the level of self-sufficiency to 70 percent and include it in the constitution. The background: feed for meat production is grown on about 60 percent of the Swiss agricultural area. The “SonntagsZeitung” was the first to report on it.
“The turnaround came in the past year and a half. My sense of powerlessness has grown,” says Herren to Blick. “With its lack of water, the agricultural and food industry was not prepared for the prevailing climate crisis. And half of our food supply depends on foreign countries.”
Still: Herren does not want to force anyone to eat less meat. Even today, many people would eat less meat out of respect for the animals. Instead, she wants to use the subsidies to promote more plant-based products. Herren also demands proper compliance with nitrogen and phosphorus limits.
“All agriculture must be aimed at sustainable production, taking into account biodiversity and soil fertility.” For example, the use of pesticides and artificial fertilizers can be reduced or replaced. “Even 15 million farm animals in Switzerland are far too many and exacerbate the climate crisis.”
Don’t be afraid of another mud fight
According to Herren, she struggled hard with herself whether she wanted to become politically active again. “But we have less and less water, the farmers don’t know how to feed their livestock, the soil is over-fertilized and there is a huge loss of biodiversity. I couldn’t bear to just look at it.”
Franziska Herren is not afraid of another mud fight. “It’s not the farmers’ fault. With this initiative, we’re shaking hands with them,” says Herren. “If I was scared, I wouldn’t do it.”
Herren is confident that the signatures will come together again this time. “The trend is clearly towards more plant-based foods and meat substitutes,” she says. “This is an opportunity, also for the farmers.” And what are the chances at the ballot box? “Women’s suffrage also required two votes.”
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
