Document type: Press release Federal Council of the Swiss Confederation
Author: Swiss Federal Council
Preview: At its meeting on November 20, 2024, the Swiss Federal Council adopted its dispatch to Parliament concerning the popular initiative "Yes to a ban on foie gras imports (foie gras initiative)". It recommends that Parliament should reject the initiative, making no direct or indirect counter-proposal. It nevertheless wishes to address the concerns in the request made by the initiative's authors, by requiring a compulsory declaration to be made for products derived from force-feeding, in order to ensure transparency for consumers. The Federal Council intends to regulate this matter by an amended ordinance. On December 28, 2023, Alliance Animale Suisse had tabled the popular initiative "Oui à l'interdiction d'importer du foie gras"(the "foie gras initiative"), which aimed to enshrine a ban on the import of foie gras and foie gras products in the Federal Constitution The ban was also intended to apply to private individuals, who would no longer be able to import these products for their own personal use. At its meeting on November 20, 2024, the Federal Council conveyed its message to Parliament, with the recommendation that the initiative be rejected without a direct or indirect counter-proposal.
Incompatibility with international obligations
The fattening of domestic poultry, known as "force-feeding" ("gavage" in French), has been banned in Switzerland for over 40 years for animal welfare reasons. The initiative also seeks to ban imports of foie gras and foie gras-based products such as magret and confit. The Federal Council states that it considers the initiative's demand to be understandable from an animal protection point of view. However, an import ban is hard to reconcile with international treaties and agreements concluded by Switzerland, such as the World Trade Organization's General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, and the free trade agreement with the EU. In principle, import bans can only be imposed if less restrictive measures, such as labelling requirements, have not achieved the desired objective. Furthermore, acceptance of the initiative would make it impossible to consume foie gras in Switzerland, thereby limiting consumer choice.
More transparency through mandatory labelling
In order to recognise the request formulated by the initiative while continuing to respect Switzerland's international obligations, the Federal Council intends to introduce a mandatory declaration system for products derived from force-feeding animals. Consumers will then be able to identify the method by which food is produced, and this transparency will raise awareness of the issue of force-feeding. The mandatory declaration will be enshrined in legislation through an ordinance that should come into force in mid-2025. At the same time, the Federal Council will implement other labelling requirements linked to production methods. Animal products obtained without anesthesia will also be subject to mandatory declaration. This could apply to frogs' legs, for example. This is the response of the Federal Council to the request made in CSEC-E motion 20.4267 "Declaration of production methods prohibited in Switzerland", adopted by Parliament.
This press release was discussed in an article article published in La Liberté on 20/11/2024
From the Swiss Confederation website
