Swiss Referendum Rejects Ban on Intensive Livestock Farming

On Sunday, the Swiss attended a referendum in which they were consulted on the prohibition of intensive livestock farming, which would have also vetoed the import of products from this type of unsustainable exploitation.

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The ban initiative, which was raised by the Greens and part of the Swiss Socialist Party, was widely defeated today by 63 percent of the vote in 25 out of 26 cantons in the country.

The proposal asked to include in the Swiss constitution the "Right to Dignity" of farm-raised cattle and to ban intensive farming. To do this, the norm sought to establish a minimum amount of outdoor time for animals and the area "to live with dignity" on farms.

The Swiss government and parliament, which had previously rejected the ecologist proposal, asked citizens to also reject it, arguing that the country already has one of the world's strictest animal protection laws."

The Swiss authorities also warned that the ban on intensive farming would affect consumers through the increase in prices of meat, dairy and similar products.

If the result of the plebiscite had been favorable, the prohibition of intensive livestock farming would have forced some 3,300 farms to readapt their production processes. It is estimated that this change might have cost about 1.2 billion euros per year.

Swiss environmentalists, however, proposed a period of up to 25 years to complete the productive transition towards non-intensive livestock farming.