Why does Switzerland have such strict animal protection laws?

Hardly any other country has animal protection laws as progressive as Switzerland.

Today, the state protects not only the welfare of animals, but also their dignity. But how did this come about, and how does it compare internationally?

There is little room for debate: Switzerland stands out from the crowd compared to its EU neighbours. In fact, animal protection and animal ethics are largely unknown concepts in many EU countries. Unlike in Switzerland, agricultural operations in the EU are neither subject to state oversight nor are clear violations of animal protection laws prosecuted.

While Swiss animal protection legislation sets out detailed regulations and minimum space requirements for all livestock, the EU has no animal welfare guidelines governing the keeping of cows, fattening animals, turkeys, ostriches, sheep, goats, horses, and all poultry species other than chickens.

This means that more than 100 million animals in the EU enjoy no legal protection.

Some Animals Are More Equal Than Others

By comparison: a single pig on a Swiss farm has 0.9 m² of space (organic farms provide 1.65 m² plus additional outdoor access), while a single pig on an average EU farm has 0.75 m² available. For chickens, the outlook is similarly bleak.

Incidentally, while battery cage farming of laying hens is prohibited in Switzerland, so-called enriched cages remain permitted in the European Union.

Living conditions for cattle, however, are far worse still.

In Switzerland, a cow has 2 m² of space, while organic farms grant her 4.5 m² with additional outdoor access. In the EU, there are no regulations governing cattle husbandry or the mass-produced housing and stabling equipment sold on the market. The latter must, in Switzerland, be tested for compliance with animal protection standards and practical suitability before receiving approval.

Switzerland also prohibits some of the most painful procedures performed on animals, while beak and tail docking as well as the removal of teeth in piglets continue to be permitted in the EU. On the other hand, Germany banned the castration of piglets without anesthesia at the beginning of 2021, a law that has been in force southwest of its border since 2010.

Even though EU animal welfare laws certainly have significant shortcomings, each EU country has the right to enact regulations to improve animal welfare.

So far, only Austria has enacted animal welfare laws comprehensive enough to rival those of Switzerland. Most southern European countries do not even comply with the rudimentary EU directives on animal welfare.

What could change?

Yet there is a glimmer of hope for animals in the EU.

The European Union is currently negotiating better conditions for animal welfare as part of the European Green Deal. Specifically, the focus is on improving the welfare of animals in agricultural livestock farming as well as during transport and slaughter. In addition, it plans to abolish the cage housing of poultry and rabbits by 2027 and to ban the use of farrowing pens and crates for sows as well as individual stalls for calves, alongside a phased withdrawal.

I keep my fingers crossed that the EU will continue to make progress on animal welfare and will one day catch up with the strict animal welfare laws of its neighbor.

The first documented animal welfare issues in Switzerland emerged in the mid-18th century. The cause: vivisections. In Switzerland, the first public vivisections — that is, procedures performed on living animals for experimental or research purposes — were carried out at several universities and met, as was to be expected, with strong opposition.

At the time, however, there was no organized resistance to this practice. But having witnessed the cruel procedure firsthand, the Swiss were determined to change this and to show animals the respect they deserve in the future.

In 1842, shortly after public outrage had spread throughout the country, the canton of Schaffhausen enacted the first law against animal cruelty in Switzerland. In 1844, the country’s first animal welfare association was founded in Bern.

By 1885, all Swiss cantons had enacted legal provisions against animal cruelty, though at that time some cantons only prohibited animal cruelty committed in public. It was not until 1893, however, that slaughter without stunning – as was frequently the case with vivisections – was banned by popular vote.

The Swiss Federal Act on Animal Protection, a revision of the Animal Protection Act, came into force in 1978 after being approved by 80% of voters. But although the law was considered highly comprehensive and covered most aspects of animal protection, the Swiss went one step further. In 1992, they enshrined the protection of animal dignity as a constitutional principle in Switzerland, making it the first country to incorporate this principle into its legislation.

Despite their progressive animal protection laws, Switzerland has also suffered a number of setbacks in its pursuit of stronger animal welfare legislation.

In 1975, the Swiss called for a ban on factory farming through a petition, which failed. Just last month, the petition – brought to a public vote as part of Switzerland’s system of direct democracy – was revived in a new form, but once again failed by a wide margin.

In 2010, all Swiss cantons rejected a referendum aimed at appointing lawyers to represent animals in court. Only 29.5% of voters supported the controversial amendment proposed by animal welfare advocates.

Switzerland is currently rated B (on a scale of A–G) on the Animal Protection Index by World Animal Protection. By comparison, most European Union countries are rated C or worse, according to local.com.