Swiss citizens have voted against a proposal to ban intensive livestock farming in a referendum which was held on Sunday (September 25).
Farmers across Switzerland have been celebrating after final results on Sunday evening showed that 63% voted against the bill that would have given animals the constitutional right to not be intensively farmed.
As well as this, new laws would have been introduced to reduce stocking rates on farms to organic levels.
Surveys carried out in the run up to the vote indicated that approximately 52% opposed the motion while 47% approved. However, only one of 26 regions in the country, Canton Basel City, voted in favour of the idea.
Campaign
The initiative was brought forward by animal welfare organisations following their collection of 100,000 signatures.
The organisations supporting the ban included the Small Farmers’ Association, Greenpeace, Les Vertes and the Social Democratic Party, as well as a number of animal protection groups.
They were demanding a number of improvements in care standards for farm animals, guaranteed regular outdoor access and a reduction in the number of animals allowed in a single structure.
This may have meant a potential reduction in the quantities of commodities produced by Swiss farmers, something the opposition warned could lead to higher food prices and reduced consumer choice.
The initiative stipulated that any imported food products would have to conform to the new standards if passed. However, the opposition, which included the government, said that exports would still increase significantly to plug the gap in the amount of meat and animal byproducts produced domestically.
Campaigners combatted this argument by encouraging reduced meat consumption and the repurposing of land to expand the horticultural sector. As well as this, they labelled the potential reform as a way for the Swiss agricultural industry to join in the fight against climate change.
Separately, the Swiss Farmers’ Union who led an opposition campaign, insisted that intensive farming doesn’t exist within Switzerland, due to existing laws around the number of animals allowed on a farm and rules around how long they can be kept in a pen.