Animal Suffering Initiative: Farmer-Heavy Commission Overwhelmed

The advisory committee of the cantonal council is calling on the St. Gallen government to draft a counter-proposal to the Animal Suffering Initiative «Stop Animal Suffering – Against Fences as Death Traps for Wildlife».

An absolute ban on barbed wire goes too far for the majority of the committee.

Initiative to Protect Wildlife from Fences

The legislative initiative in the canton of St. Gallen targeting fences as death traps for wildlife was declared legally valid on 30 August 2019.

The Animal Suffering Initiative aims to protect wildlife that perish or are injured because of fences. Specifically, it demands that dangerous fences that are not necessary must be removed. This applies, for example, to barbed wire fences that serve no essential purpose, as a ban in the canton of Grisons demonstrates.

For other dangerous enclosures such as electric fences or pasture nets, the initiative calls for clear requirements such as mandatory removal deadlines or switching off the power when not in use. Furthermore, fences in forests are to be prohibited as a general rule.

The advisory committee acknowledges the concerns of the initiative and wishes to prevent accidents and animal suffering caused by fences in forests and meadows, according to a statement from the St. Gallen State Chancellery. After lengthy discussion, the committee recommends that the cantonal council reject the initiative. The majority of the committee considers the proposed legislative text put forward by the initiators to go too far, as it provides for an absolute ban on barbed wire and an elaborate fence management system with various conditions, the statement adds. The Animal welfare problem remains unsolved for the time being.

Deliberation in the June session

The committee calls for a counter-proposal and provides the government with various key parameters for its drafting: these primarily concern the prohibition of barbed wire, the definition of permanent fences, the handling of mobile grazing nets, and the removal of unused fences. Responsibility and accountability in enforcement are also to be incorporated.

The cantonal council will deliberate on the proposal in its June session in the first and second readings. If the cantonal council approves the motions of the preparatory committee, the government will have one year to draft a counter-proposal.