Animals come under government spotlight

The government wants to improve animal health and protection through three law changes, it announced on Wednesday.

First and foremost it wants to strengthen measures against animal disease, a communiqué said. But there are also moves to stop the trade in cat and dog fur.

The cabinet intends to introduce the ban through a change to the animal protection law. Until now only the import has been banned in Switzerland. Parliament had previously called for a general ban, which has now been taken up by government.

The opportunity to change the law is also being used to improve information and transparency in animal experiments, and to allow the government to set minimum training standards for animal keepers.

In addition, the government wants to revise the animal disease law, allowing it to obtain vaccines and make a vaccine data bank, allowing it to react quickly when needed.