Swiss fur initiative committee backs counterproposal, withdraws initiative

The committee behind Switzerland’s fur initiative has conditionally withdrawn it and is backing Parliament’s counterproposal, SRF reports. The withdrawal will take effect only if the counterproposal enters into force.

A majority of members of Alliance Animale Suisse supported the move. The initiative committee says the planned rules meet its expectations and would end imports of fur produced using methods that cause animal suffering.

At the end of its autumn session earlier this month, Parliament approved amendments to the Animal Welfare Act that would ban imports and sales of fur from cruel production. The National Council voted 139 to 52, with five abstentions; the Council of States voted 43 to two.

The amendments are an indirect counterproposal to the initiative, titled “Yes to a ban on imports of fur products produced using methods that cause animal suffering.” Parliament had recommended rejecting the initiative. The committee had previously said it would withdraw the proposal if Parliament passed an effective counterproposal.

The legislation defines methods as cruel when they “severely impair” animal welfare. It also establishes a federal certification programme setting out which conditions for keeping, hunting and killing animals are considered non-cruel.

The initiative’s withdrawal was published in the Federal Gazette on Friday. The referendum period for the law changes ends on January 21, 2027; no signature campaign against them has been launched so far. The committee submitted more than 113,000 signatures in December 2023.