No Factory Farming in Switzerland: Initiative Launched
Every day in Switzerland, millions of so-called “farmed animals” are fattened in large groups in confined spaces. The quantity of concentrated feed required for this can only be secured by importing more than 1,000 truckloads of animal feed every day. This absurd system causes enormous environmental damage, both in Switzerland and abroad.
According to a media report, animal welfare, animal rights, and environmental organisations have successfully launched their popular initiative against factory farming. They reportedly collected 124’000 signatures and intend to submit them to the Federal Chancellery in September.
As campaign director Meret Schneider of the animal rights organisation Sentience Politics told «Blick» on Monday, the signatures are now being certified by the municipalities. They are to be submitted to the Federal Chancellery in September. A total of 100’000 valid signatures are required for the initiative to be valid. The collection period for the initiative, launched on 12 June 2018, runs until 12 December of this year.
The popular initiative «No Factory Farming in Switzerland (Factory Farming Initiative)» calls for a constitutional amendment regarding livestock farming. The federal government would be required to protect the dignity of animals in agricultural livestock farming.
Factory farming drives climate change, exacerbates world hunger and water scarcity, causes antibiotic resistance, and violates the constitutional principle of animal protection. The Factory Farming Initiative aims to put an end to this.
In Switzerland, 50 million land animals are bred and slaughtered every year, with their most basic needs largely disregarded.The industry deliberately perpetuates the illusion that factory farming does not exist in Switzerland — even though most Swiss “farmed animals” never see grass or sunlight in their lifetime.
Specifically, the federal government is to establish criteria for animal-friendly housing and care, outdoor access, slaughter, and maximum group sizes per barn. It is also to enact regulations on the import of animals and animal products for food purposes. Maximum transition periods of 25 years are foreseen for the implementation of the initiative.
That farms can be run according to these guidelines today is demonstrated by the many organic farmers.
Behind the popular initiative stand individuals from 15 organizations, including Vera Weber from the Fondation Franz Weber, as well as representatives from Greenpeace and the Green Party.
