Template texts for hunting-critical motions
More and more politicians want a modern hunting policy that respects animal welfare and nature conservation. Often it is not the lack of will that fails, but the time to formulate concrete motions. This page fills this gap: with ready-formulated template texts for motions, postulates and other parliamentary submissions – for the entire DACH region, continuously expanded.
The instrument of parliamentary motion – whether motion, postulate or interpellation – is the most direct means to change hunting policy at the cantonal or municipal level. At the same time, developing legally sound, politically effective texts is time-consuming. These template texts are freely available to elected representatives, parties, organizations and committed private individuals – for direct adoption, adaptation and submission.
Important notes before submission
The template texts are designed as templates. Three steps are necessary before each submission:
- Legal review: The texts must be adapted to the legal foundations of the respective canton. Law designations, article numbers and procedural designations vary by canton.
- Formal adaptation: Cantonal parliaments have different formal requirements for motions, postulates, questions and interpellations. Format, length and submission deadlines must be checked at the cantonal level.
- Political contextualization: A template text is stronger when supplemented with local examples, cantonal statistics and regional references.
IG Wild beim Wild assumes no liability for the legal correctness of submitted texts. For support with canton-specific adaptation: Get in touch
What purpose do parliamentary motions serve?
A parliamentary motion is not a law – but it forces a response, generates public attention and puts issues on the political agenda. The Swiss Federal Assembly uses motions, postulates, interpellations, questions and parliamentary initiatives as instruments. At cantonal level, the designations and procedures are similar, but not uniform.
A motion instructs the executive to present a draft law or take concrete action. It is the most binding instrument. A postulate instructs the government to examine the appropriateness of a measure and report on it. It is less binding, but has a lower threshold for submission. An interpellation or parliamentary question demands information from the government. It creates no obligation to act, but generates political pressure and transparency.
For hunting-critical concerns, depending on the objective: motions for bans and regulations, postulates for studies, reports and pilot projects, questions for data and transparency are recommended.
Animal welfare and hunting practices
Regulate trophy photos: Protect animal dignity beyond death
Regulate hunting trophy photos in public media, social networks and school communications: When is the public display of dead wild animals compatible with animal dignity and youth protection?
Protection of young animals and parent animals: consistent closed seasons and quiet zones
Legally anchored closed seasons for young animals and parent animals during the rearing period, binding quiet zones and monitoring of compliance.
Ban on animal-torturing trap and lure hunting
Ban on live trap and snap trap hunting that causes animals to suffer for hours, as well as ban on acoustic lure hunting for certain species.
Ban for children and youth in hunting
Minimum age for participation in hunts, ban on participation of minors in driven hunts, battue hunts and large hunts.
Curb hunting propaganda with dead animals
Regulation of public display of killed wild animals at hunting exhibitions, bag presentations and on social media.
Effectively prevent alcohol and drug consumption in recreational hunting
Clear blood alcohol limits in hunting practice, random checks and severe sanctions for violations analogous to road traffic legislation.
Hunting-free zones and system alternatives
Hunting ban following Geneva model: Replace recreational hunting with professional wildlife management
The Canton of Geneva has shown since 1974 that professional wildlife management by state game wardens functions better than area-wide recreational hunting. This motion calls for examination of the same model in the submitting canton.
Hunting-free zones and pilot area following Geneva model
Designation of one or more hunting-free pilot areas for scientific monitoring and evaluation, as a basis for fact-based decision-making about the future of cantonal hunting policy.
Hunting rest on private forest: Pacification of private property for ethical reasons
Strengthen property rights and freedom of conscience of landowners: The right to keep one's own plot hunting-free for ethical reasons.
Protect protection forest from recreational hunting and integrate predators
Hunting-free zones in protection forests and natural forest reserves, combined with targeted promotion of natural regulation by predators.
Specific hunting forms
Ban on driven hunts
Battue hunts and driven hunts demonstrably cause higher stress, more missed shots and greater ecological disturbances than stand hunting. This motion calls for a cantonal ban or strong restriction of these hunting forms.
Ban on fox hunting: Science-based and animal-ethical reorientation of cantonal hunting policy
Luxembourg has renounced all fox hunting since 2015 – without the prophesied problems. This initiative demands a cantonal fox hunting ban and the transition to non-lethal regulation methods.
Abolition of small game hunting: Protection of threatened species from recreational hunting
European hares, grey partridges, pheasants: small game species are in steep decline in many parts of Switzerland. This initiative demands an immediate moratorium and scientific population assessment before further culls are authorized.
Moratorium or ban on wolf hunting
In light of the ongoing investigation proceedings by the Bern Convention against Switzerland, this initiative demands a cantonal moratorium on preventive wolf culls pending legal clarification.
Transparency and control
Transparent hunting statistics: Disclosure of kills, tracking searches and missed shots
Complete, annually published statistics on kills, missed shots, tracking searches and animal welfare reports – as the foundation for evidence-based hunting policy.
Independent hunting supervision: External control instead of self-regulation
Establishment of independent hunting supervision without structural proximity to the recreational hunting milieu, with clear reporting, control and sanctioning mechanisms.
Recreational hunting and criminality: Tighten aptitude controls, reporting obligations and consequences
Stricter aptitude testing before hunting license acquisition, mandatory reporting of convictions and consistent license revocation for violence and animal welfare offenses.
Withdrawal of environmental privileges for hunting associations
Review and termination of tax exemptions, subsidies and privileged government access for hunting associations that cannot demonstrably act in the public nature conservation interest.
No hunting propaganda by hobby hunters in schools
Ban on hunting school visits, educational trails and teaching materials from hunting associations without independent pedagogical and animal welfare review.
Health, safety and weapons
Lead-free hunting: Ban on lead ammunition in the canton
The Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office recommends that pregnant women, children and nursing mothers not consume game killed with lead ammunition. The canton of Bern has advanced the ban to 2027. This initiative demands the same in other cantons – ahead of the national ban in 2030.
Make health risks of game meat transparent
Mandatory declaration requirements for ammunition type, origin and processing standards for game meat in gastronomy and retail.
Public safety: Minimum distances, exclusion zones, reporting obligations
Binding minimum distances to residential buildings, hiking trails, bike paths and recreational areas, public hunting announcements and reporting obligations for hunting incidents.
Protection from domestic gun violence: Hunting weapons, hobby hunters and femicides
Consistent review of weapon storage among hobby hunters in domestic violence situations, reporting obligations for law enforcement authorities and faster weapon confiscation upon warning signs.
Illegal hunting blinds: Free forests from hunting sprawl
Systematic inventory and removal of unauthorized hunting blinds and hunting infrastructure in public forests, with cost liability for the responsible hunting grounds.
Animal welfare-compliant fence and grazing net requirements
Mandatory standards for grazing fences that do not hinder, injure or kill wild animals – as a contribution to genuine coexistence between agriculture and wildlife.
Wolf and predators
Livestock protection instead of wolf culls: Handling wolves in the canton
Binding requirements for livestock protection measures as prerequisite for culling permits, combined with cantonal financing of professional livestock protection consulting.
Animal-abusive recreational formats and terrarium exhibitions
Cantonal regulation of events where animals are used as decoration, trophies or trade goods – based on animal welfare law and animal dignity.
How you contribute to expanding the collection
The collection of template texts is continuously expanded. Three ways to collaborate:
Motion submitted? Share the result with us – submission text, government response, any debates. We document and create a public report from it.
Topic missing? If a political concern is missing that you think should be formulated as a motion, write to us: wildbeimwild.com/kontakt
Cantonal example available? Submitted, adapted or successfully processed motions from your canton help other mandate holders. Send us the text – we will supplement the collection.
Background and classification
Swiss hunting legislation is primarily cantonal. The federal government sets minimum standards through the Federal Act on Hunting and the Protection of Wild Mammals and Birds – but shooting seasons, hunting methods, control mechanisms and enforcement lie largely in cantonal hands. This means: cantonal parliaments are the most effective lever for hunting policy changes – and parliamentary motions are the standard tool.
The revised hunting law that came into force on February 1, 2025, has granted cantons additional scope for preventive wolf regulation. It has simultaneously increased pressure on animal welfare and nature conservation organizations to counter at the cantonal level. The template texts on this page are a direct response to this situation: They translate hunting-critical concerns into parliamentary usable language.
For further background information, scientific sources and support in developing canton-specific motions, the IG Wild beim Wild is available. Mandate holders who need concrete support in adapting a template text can contact us directly: wildbeimwild.com/kontakt
More on the topic of recreational hunting: In our Hunting Dossier we bundle fact checks, analyses and background reports.