TIR thrilled that National Council supports import ban for fur products derived from animal cruelty

At yesterday's National Council meeting, Matthias Aebischer's (SP/BE) motion for an import ban on fur derived from animal cruelty was passed by a large majority. The Stiftung für das Tier im Recht (TIR) was involved in drafting the proposal and has joined other organizations in support of a campaign to promote it. TIR hopes that the Council of States will follow suit and adopt the proposal as well.

December 14, 2021

Yesterday, the upper chamber of Parliament (National Council) adopted the proposal that was presented in Parliament in December 2019 (see news release of December 18, 2019) with 144 votes in favor, thirty-one against and nine abstentions, thereby deciding not to follow the Federal Council's recommendation to reject the motion. The latter argued with concerns regarding the compatibility of an import ban with Switzerland's international trade obligations and potential enforcement difficulties.

Currently, Switzerland requires the declaration of fur products. All fur products offered for sale must indicate the animal species from which the fur originates, where the animal lived and how it was kept or hunted. In TIR's opinion, however, simply declaring the animal's origin is not enough. According to Swiss animal welfare law, the fur production methods commonly used abroad constitute clear cruelty to animals. Therefore, furs and fur products obtained by such methods should not be allowed to enter Switzerland at all. An import ban on fur products derived from cruelty to animals is therefore urgently needed. A ban is the only way to prevent domestic demand from promoting forms of fur production abroad that are clearly rejected by a large part of the Swiss population.

In a legal opinion prepared in cooperation with experts in the field of international law, TIR demonstrated that – contrary to the concerns expressed by the Federal Council – an import ban would not be in violation of Switzerland's international trade obligations (Rüttimann Andreas/Gerritsen Vanessa/Blattner Charlotte, Zulässigkeit von Beschränkungen des Handels mit tierquälerisch hergestellten Pelzprodukten, Schriften zum Tier im Recht, Band 16, Zürich/Basel/Genf 2017). TIR's reasoning and legal conclusions are also reflected in Aebischer's motion.

TIR supports the motion together with other animal welfare and animal rights organizations as part of the campaign "We Care – We Don't Wear". The resulting petition was handed over to the Parliament last September with more than 42,000 signatures (see news release of September 20, 2021 in German).

TIR is incredibly pleased with the National Council's decision, as it sets a clear signal for animal welfare. TIR hopes that the Council of States will now also vote in favor of the proposal.

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