FAQ / Statements

Why is the SAP not against meat consumption in general?

The SAP accepts that the usage of animals is a component of today's society. The majority of people eat meat and are not willing to completely refrain from that. Meanwhile, we demand that as little harm as by all means possible is inflicted on livestock during its lifetime. That's why we campaign for projects and labels which in the long term increase to a bigger or smaller amount the well-being of our farm animals.

How does the SAP act for more welfare in animal production?

The SAP is committed to improving lifestock's living conditions while kept on farms, during transportation and on slaughter. We are acting in the consultation process of law, in dialogue with industry branches and in market solutions to increase animal welfare. Additionally, we care for the practical application of given results.

The Inspection Service SAP surveys the existing conditions in animal husbandry, on transports and in abattoirs according to label guidelines with the objective of constantly improving them. Reliable and rigorous controlling is from our point of view essential in order to guarantee the everyday execution of label guidelines.

What should be kept in mind when buying animal products?

There's one obvious thing: when buying animal products without abandoning all ethical concerns, the only alternative is the purchase of meat from reputable swiss label origins.

You can find out more about which labels are available and how we evaluate them on our website www.essenmitherz.ch

How does farm animal welfare in Switzerland differ from that abroad?

Many requirements already differ at the level of legislation between Switzerland and other countries. In addition, there are major differences between forms of production based on minimum standards of the label guidelines under private law. A comprehensive comparison of different husbandry conditions for farm animals in Switzerland and abroad can be found on our website www.essenmitherz.ch

 

How do I proceed if I encounter bad husbandry or cruelty to animals?

If You are uncertain about the occurence it may make sense to contact the livestock owner directly. In all other cases You may inform Swiss Animal Protection SAP or report Your observation to the veterinary office responsible. The office of the canton in which the animals are kept is in charge.The veterinary office has the competence to control animal husbandries, conduct inquiries and issue sanctions for the animals' well-being. The register of the cantonal veterinary offices You find here: www.tierschutz.com/tierschutzkontrollen/docs/vetaemter.html.

For reports to the Animal Welfare Inquiries Section of the SAP go to www.tierschutz.com/tierschutzkontrollen and make use of the reporting form on the right. On the same site You find useful information and FAQ about the reporting procedure.

Where do I find information about legal requirements?

The legal requirements on animal welfare are regulated in the federal Animal Welfare Act (AniWA) and in the corresponding Animal Protection Ordnance (AniPO). Die Tierschutzvorschriften sind im eidgenössischen Tierschutzgesetz und in der dazugehörigen Verordnung geregelt. In the ordnance You find mainly detailed regulations about the husbandry of various species of animals. Additionally there are some minor ordnances on special topics.

You find an overview and corresponding links to legal requirements on the site Infodesk -> Legislation

Legal acts are often difficult to understand. Therefore, the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office FSVO has issued a site with professional information about the husbandry of various animal species: www.blv.admin.ch/ -> Animal welfare / Keeping of livestock

What can I do personally to improve livestock husbandry?

Our shopping behaviour has a great impact on improving animal husbandry conditions. An animal-friendly husbandry is related with higher production costs. Therefore, the consumers must be willing to pay a higher price for such products. Excellent animal husbandry labels demand higher standards than required by swiss animal welfare regulations. So, buying animal products made according to those label standards directly boosts animal-friendly husbandry. As guideline, the SAP has rated many different animal products and published the results on www.essenmitherz.ch. The most animal-friendly products are rated 'TOP' there.

Do sheep, goats and cattle need a shelter on the pasture?

Yes, animals kept constantly (i.e. >24 hrs.) outside must have a natural or artificial shelter at their disposition in extreme weather conditions. All animals must have enough space to be protected from wetness, wind or solar radiation in these. Additionally, a reasonably dry resting area must be at hand. So, animals need shelter - meanwhile, this shelter may consist of trees, if these offer enough protection. This requirement for permanent pastures does not apply to temporary free range, for in this case the stables offer the corresponding shelter and resting spaces.

Aren't cows or sheep cold outside in the snow?

Movement in fresh air is benign for humans and for animals, too. Adult cattle, sheep, horses and goats endure low temperatures even better than humans. Animals conditioned to free range or outside climate normally have no problem with cold weather. However, it is important for all animals to have free access to a big enough shelter giving protection from wetness and wind and offering a dry resting space.

What are the requirements regarding indoor lighting for cattle, goat and sheep?

At daytime an illumination of no less than 15 lux is mandatory. At 15 lux a person can read a newspaper on level of the animals. Resting and refugium areas are excluded and may have less light, providing that the animals have permanent access to other sufficiently lit areas. If the lighting provided by direct daylight through windows is insufficient, the use of artificial illumination is allowed, with the exception of UV lights as these are no substitutes for daylight. Automated lighting must deliver at least 8 hrs and not more than 16 hrs of lighting per day. Only one dark period per full day is permitted.

Do cattle, goat and sheep need permanent access to water?

According to the Swiss Animal Welfare Act cattle, goat and sheep must have access to water twice a day, irrespectively whether they are inside a barn or outside on pasture.

Do cowbells have a negative effect on the animals?

Wheter animals suffer from the noise of cowbells has so far been investigated in very few surveys only. These studies, carried out by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in 2015 and 2017, show no clear results but indicate that the constant wearing of big cowbells making a noise of more than 85 dB may affect the animals.
The Swiss Ordinance on Animal Welfare declares (in Art. 12) that animals must not be exposed to excessive noise over a longer period of time. Noise, in this article, is rated as excessive if it provokes behavioural escaping, evading, aggressiveness or stupor and the animal can't avoid the source of the noise. Given the fact that such behaviour with cowbells of a common size usually can't be observed, the wearing of cowbells of a small to moderate size does not violate this regulation in the point of view of the SAP.
However, to evaluate the subject correctly, there are several related elements that must be taken account of: size and weight of the bells, short or long wearing time and the correct use of the bellstraps.
In the future, the use of GPS-systems could increasingly replace cowbells. Their advantages in delivering more information (movement, activity, behaviour patterns) are however opposed by other issues such as high initial costs, signal transmission and power supply.

Is the use of nose rings for cattle allowed?

Commonly available nose rings and weaning rings that do not pierce the rim of the nose nor any other parts of the muzzle may be used for cattle. On the other hand it's the owner's responsability to choose rings that do not harm the animals and don't restrain them from eating, drinking and licking. Weaning rings are anti-suckling devices which prevent calves and adult animals from suckling each other. Mutual suckling is a behavioural disorder which occurs quite often in calves and rearing cattle. It leads to milk loss, mastitis and sometimes perdition of a whole quarter of the udder of the suckled animal. The nose ring is meant to provoke a defensive reaction of the suckled animal without injuring it. In the opinion of the SAP these types of nose rings should be used only exceptionally and temporarely becase they are foreign objects that, even if effective, fight only the symptom and not the cause. Mutual suckling should rather be prevented by appropriate rearing methods for calves. These include enough space, access to fields, early adaptation to roughage and gentle weaning from milk, but, most of all, mother-calf relation. Therefore the SAP stands for mother-calf rearing in dairy cattle farming. In this rearing system the calf is allowed to suckle its mother in between milking times, thus satisfying the urge to suckle. Milk products from such systems can be obtained at Cowpassion (www.cowpassion.ch). For more information on mother-calf rearing see www.mu-ka.ch.

Do cows need access to an outside range?

Only for tethered cows a regulary outside free range is compulsory and only for a minimum of 90 days per year, wherefrom 60 days must take place during the vegetation period and 30 days during wintertime. In winter the free range often consists of a paved area close to the stable. Additionally, tethered cows may not be fixed for a period exceeding two weeks and the outside range times must be noted in a journal. Cows in free range housing systems do not need an outside range by law, neither on pastures nor in paved outside areas. Only for the state supported programme 'RAUS' or in progressive label husbandries, listed on our site www.essenmitherz.ch, regular access to fields in summer and access to outside areas in winter is compulsory.

Why are calves kept individually in huts?

Calves of dairy cows are usually separated from their mothers at an early stage. In order to protect the calves from other animals' deseases and to give them fresh air they are often kept in individual huts. This husbandry is allowed by law during the first 21 living days, as long as the calves can see their fellows. Swiss Animal Protection SAP considers the solitary confinement of calves as inadequate and promotes group housing with outside runs being permitted by law only.

Furthermore, the SAP advocates the rearing of calves with teir mother. The calves have direct contact with their mothers and recieve their milk in this management system. Up to now, outdated laws prevented the spreading of this animal-friendly method of rearing veal. SAP took an active part in the adjustment of these laws.

Is the trimming of sheep's tails allowed?

Alas, the trimming or cutting of sheep's tails is still allowed and is a routine widely used today. According to swiss animal welfare regulations the tail trimming of lambs up to an age of seven days is permitted without analgesia, and the stump must cover anus and pudendum. For older animals analgesia is compulsory and the operation must be carried out by a veterinary or by a person that posseses a certificate of competence.
As main reason for tail trimming the prevention of staining with dirt and subsequent health poblems through contamination with fly maggots is quoted. Furthermor, the control of mastitis is said to be easier if the tail is short and/or bald.
On the other side there certainly are other methods to prevent the staining of the tails, thus giving no need for trimming. In addition, the Swiss Animal Welfare Act states that no person may inflict pain, suffering or harm on an animal, induce anxiety in an animal or disregard its dignity in any other way. Therefore tail trimming is no appropriate solution for the above mentioned problems for the SAP. More information on the subject You may find in our leaflet "Schwanzcoupieren bei Schafen" (german only).

Must sheep be sheared?

Swiss animal welfare regulations stipulate one shearing per year without specific moment or season. Sheep-shearing is an essential tending measure which usually takes place in spring before lambing and additionally in autumn before stabling. The latter is meant to provide good heat circulation in the warm stable. Freshly sheared sheep are sensitive to intense sunlight and damp weather and should be sheltered accordingly. It takes about six weeks for the wool to grow back.

Is the housing of pigs on unlittered concrete floor allowed?

Yes, according to swiss animal welfare regulations it is allowed to keep pigs on unlittered concrete floor. But fine labels such as IP-Suisse, Lidl Terra Natura or Bio Suisse demand a well-littered resting area. The additionally required outside range, on the other hand, may consist of simply paved floor, for even labels are a trade-off between animal welfare and economic necessities. A well-tended label housing with sufficiently littered resting areas and a paved outside range offers different floorings and areas to choose from as well as permanent access to fresh air and daylight. For the SAP this is an acceptable compromise.

You find more information to various labels on our website www.essenmitherz.ch

What are the requirements regarding indoor lighting for pigs?

At daytime an illumination of no less than 15 lux is mandatory. At 15 lux a person can read a newspaper on level of the animals. Resting and refugium areas are excluded and may have less light, providing that the animals have permanent access to other sufficiently lit areas. If the lighting provided by direct daylight through windows is insufficient, the use of artificial illumination is allowed, with the exception of UV lights as these are no substitute for daylight. Automated lighting must deliver at least 8 hrs and not more than 16 hrs of lighting per day. Only one dark period per full day is permitted.

Must outside runs for pigs be shaded?

An outside run for pigs is not requested by swiss animal welfare regulations. On the other hand pigs kept according to the state supported RAUS or certain label rules must have access to an outside range. This range must be partially unsheltered, but the installation of shading nets is permitted from 1st of March until 31st of October. Other rules apply for free range pig husbandries: for these the law requires for example access to a wallow at temperatures higher than 25°C and the presence of sufficiently spaced shaded areas outside the resting huts in case of heavy solar irradiation. In animal-friendly label husbandries these requirements are obligatory during the whole season from 1st of March until 31st of October.

Is single housing of ill or injured pigs permitted?

Single housing of ill or injured pigs is allowed regardless of the husbandry system. But most labels limit the duration of the single housing, so the animals must go back to the group or be slaughtered after a certain period of time.

Why does tail biting occur in pigs?

Tail biting is a multifactoral behavioural disorder affecting the well-being and health of the animals. It occurs exclusively in housing systems and can be evoked by various factors. As a consequence it is often difficult to single out the reason and stopp this misbehaviour. Possible causes can be poor climatic conditions indorrs, inadequate feed or water quality, insufficient pen size or structuring, health problems, but most of all missing means of activity. Therefore, the provision of materials such as uncut straw, wood branches a.s.o. may enable the pigs to live out their need to explore, chew and rut and in consequence considerably reduce tail biting as well as other behavioural disorders.

Do pigs need access to an outside range?

Access to an outside run or pasture for pigs is not requested by swiss animal welfare regulations. On the other hand pigs kept according to the state supported RAUS programme or labels such as IP-Suisse or Bio Suisse must have access to an outside range. To buy pork from pigs with access to pastures one should look for origins like Silvestri Free-Range Pork, KAGfreiland or ProMontagna. But supply is seasonal and may not be available throughout. More information on various labels are listed on our website www.essenmitherz.ch.

These chicken have no feathers - is the farmer neglecting them or are they ill?

There can be various reasons for a bad plumage condition with layer hens. In the best case, they are moulting, i.e. they are changing their plumage, which is a natural occurence and lasts for a few weeks.

Sadly enough there sometimes occurs feather pecking in layer hen flocks, with bad plumage as a result. Lack of occupation or minerals, deseases or genetic predisposition are possible reasons. To a certain degree it is owed to the extreme performance breeding as well. As a result, a benign management system with enough space and means of occupation - clean littering for pecking and scratching for instance - as well as proper feeding and free range on meadows is quite challenging.

Conclusively, a bad pumage does not necessarily mean negligence of the animals. If you encounter a person in charge, do inquire - most livestock owners will appreciate Your interest and explain circumstances to You.

Are there any requirements for amateur poultry farming?

Generally, the legal requirements must be fulfilled in hobby farming as well. Most amateur owners fortunately offer more space than the legal minimum required. The SAP published a fact sheet (Link to follow) containing the most essential points. Calculations in it are for up to 5 animals and it contains practical hints as well as legal requirements. The proportions of housings and ranges can be adapted for bigger flocks.

What are the requirements regarding indoor lighting for chicken?

According to Swiss Animal Welfare Laws there must be a brightness of at least 5 lux in areas where the birds are active most of the time. This is given if a newspaper can still be scarcely read on the birds' level. On the other hand a lighting of at least 15 lux is required by the state supported programme BTS as well as good labels. At 15 lux a person can easily read a newspaper on level of the birds. Resting and refugium areas are excluded and may have less light, providing that the birds have permanent access to other sufficiently lit areas. If the lighting provided by direct daylight through windows is insufficient, the use of artificial illumination is allowed for at least 8 hrs and not more than 16 hrs of lighting per full day. In breeding flocks the artificial lighting may be prolonged up to 24 hrs for the first three living days. If automated programs are in use, only one dark period per full day is permitted.

What are the advantages of dual-purpose chicken?

Dual-purpose chicken are breeds where the female birds are used as layer hens and the male ones as broilers. The big advantages of dual-purpose chicken are not having to kill the male chicks and a usually better health condition than the one of high-performance breeds. Additionally it has been proven that dual-purpose cocks have a better mobility than fast growing ones and that the feathering of dual-purpose hens is in good condition up to the end of the laying period, which was backtraced to less feather-picking. On the other hand weight gain of the cocks is slower and the laying performance of the hens slightly less than in high-performance breeds. Therefore, in order to support the use of dual-purpose chicken, the willingness of consumers to pay slightly more for eggs and meat of such birds is necessary. A rating of different labels regarding animal welfare is listed on our website www.essenmitherz.ch.

What height is required for door-frames in horse barns?

In the Ordinance on Animal Protection there are general requirements concerning only the minimal height of the ceiling, which is based upon the tallest equine of a herd. The height of the door-frames is not specified.

How much litter is required in the resting area of horses?

The law requires that the mimimal resting areas in the stable, the run and the pasture must be permanently and sufficiently littered with adequate, clean and dry materials. As the necessary layer of litter depends on the material's ability to insulate and absorb wetness as well as the flooring, its thickness may vary, for example on insulated floors, wooden floors or ones with rubber mat coating. There is no exact definition of the layer's thickness. For the SAP's Horse Label a layer thickness of 5cm on rubber matted floors and 10cm on concrete floors is demanded.

How long is the allowed transportation time in Switzerland?

In transportation duration there is distinction into cumulative transportation time and pure driving time. The total duration of a transport - from loading of the first animal until unloading of the last one - is limited to a maximum of 8 hours within Switzerland. Pure driving time - i.e. when the wheels are rolling - is limited to a maximum of 6 hours within Switzerland. Shorter transportation durations apply for certain labels. Calculation of the duration can be reset if the animals are kept in compartments measuring the minimal space for pens according to the Ordnance on Animal Protection for not less than 2 hours and have access to water and, if necessary, milk.

The transit of live slaughter animals through Switzerland is prohibited.

How are animals transported abroad?

Not only are the regulations regarding animal transportation abroad less strict, they are also controlled less frequently . Transports of live animals straight across Europe and beyond are quite common. Animals are hauled around the world on trucks and ships, very often under horrendous conditions.

Why are transport vehicles with animals on them parked outside?

If a farm has no space for truck and trailer to access, it can happen that the driver places the trailer temporarily on a parking lot to load animals on the enterprise. However, it is forbidden to keep animals inside a standing transportation vehicle for a longer time. In this case, animals must be kept in conditions according to standard stable measurements - which is usually not possible on a lorry or trailer. If You find animals standing in a parking space on a vehicle for several hours, please document the situation and report to the next police station or veterinary office. Should You encounter the driver, enquire his motives and circumstances.

What does the Swiss Animal Protection SAP inspect?

The SAP inspection service carries out transport inspections under private law on behalf of animal husbandry labels that promote good transport conditions. This means that only transports that have loaded at least one animal from such a label can be inspected.

The SAP inspection service carries out two types of transport inspections: Accompanying controls and acceptance controls at the slaughterhouse. Either transports from the farms to the slaughterhouse are accompanied or incoming transports are checked directly at the slaughterhouse. We pay attention to many different things, for example the handling of the animals and the driving by chauffeurs and animal owners. The animals are checked for visible injuries and impairments. With the vehicles, we look at the bedding, sufficient space per number of animals, loading facilities and risks of injury. In addition, the accompanying documents are checked so that the duration of the transport can be traced.

Further information can be found on our website under: Controls/Transport controls

What does the SAP think of farm and pasture slaughter?

The Swiss Animal Protection SAP supports the idea of on-farm slaughtering. On-farm slaughtering reduces the stress on the animal by eliminating the need for transport to the slaughterhouse and by stunning and then slaughtering the animal in a familiar environment, without the additional stress of an unfamiliar and sometimes stressful environment.

When cattle are stunned by bolt gun in a specially equipped stall or a special slaughter trailer, a well-trained and equipped butcher can stun the animals just as well as in a slaughterhouse.

In the case of pasture slaughter or pasture shooting, i.e. the stunning of cattle by shooting with a rifle in the pasture or in a corral, however, this only applies to a limited extent. In order for the shot to cause the expected immediate stun, the free-standing animals have to look in the right direction at exactly the right angle at the moment the shot is fired. This requires not only great skill as a shooter, but even greater patience. In the event of a missed shot, animals cannot be stunned or can only be stunned after a delay and can die in the most miserable conditions. The SAP therefore considers pasture slaughter to be a practicable method of stunning only under the strictest guidelines and controls.

The permit for both types of farm killing is issued by the cantons. It depends on them how farm slaughter is ultimately implemented on the farms. The SAP will keep a close eye on further developments regarding licensing requirements and will pay particular attention to any licences for pasture slaughtering.

Is carbon dioxide stunning bad?

At present, there are two practical methods of stunning pigs - carbon dioxide (CO2) and electric stunning.

A well-designed CO2 stunning system has several advantages: The entry of the pigs into the stunning gondolas takes place calmly and practically without stress; moreover, all animals are stunned well, regardless of the daily form of the persons in charge. As a disadvantage, however, even the best CO2 systems have a phase in which the animals are irritated by the CO2 and sometimes experience respiratory distress before they become unconscious.
Poor CO2 systems do not have the above-mentioned advantages and also have an insufficiently high CO2 concentration, which can cause the animals to suffer for up to several minutes.

The only alternative for pigs at present is electric stunning. Unfortunately, this method has some disadvantages: With machine stunning systems, as used in large slaughterhouses, a good stun can usually be achieved, but the pigs have to be singled out, which leads to a lot of stress. Unfortunately, in addition, human-performed electric stunning, as is done in smaller or medium-sized farms, is dependent on the daily form of the person in charge. In order to improve stunning safety, the current flow can be increased, but this leads increasingly to damage to the muscle and thus to the meat that can be sold. For this reason, the current flow is often set at the lower limit, which is why electric stunning often results in poorer stunning.

The same applies in principle to the stunning of poultry. However, the "hanging up" by the legs in the electric stunning system must be taken into account as an additional stress for poultry. In addition, electric stunning of poultry is carried out using an "electric bath", the setting of which is also very delicate.

Unfortunately, there are currently no practical alternatives to these methods. However, we are committed to improving the existing methods and to researching and, if they work well, implementing alternatives.

Why does the SAP advocate for more controls and video surveillance at the slaughterhouse?

Comprehensive farm animal welfare includes the gentle handling of animals on their final journey and a death that is as painless and quick as possible. Well-trained staff in the slaughterhouses and sufficient resources for independent and best possible controls are indispensable for this. In addition to the demand for more personnel resources to monitor stunning and bleeding, the SAP also considers video surveillance of animal welfare-relevant areas in slaughterhouses, especially during stunning and bleeding of animals, to be an effective means of improving the situation.

Is ritual slaughter allowed in Switzerland?

The ritual slaughter of animals, e.g. the bleeding of animals without prior stunning, is not allowed in Switzerland up to very few exceptions. These exceptions include emergency slaughter or the occasional slaughter of very few animals in private. In abattoirs all animals must be stunned before bleeding. But the marketing of ritually slaughtered meat from abroad is allowed. Ritual slaughter is usually linked to the terms 'kosher' and 'halal'. Both of these terms are not legally protected. In the case of kosher slaughter the bleeding without prior stunning is mandatory. Halal, on the other hand, does not necessarily mean that the animal was bled without stunning. The bleeding of stunned animals is accepted by the swiss muslim community if certain other rules comply. Therefore it's possible to buy halal meat produced in Switzerland.