On Thursday, the House of Representatives agreed with the position of the Senate, which in June this year decided against an import ban but in favor of a declaration requirement. This meant that the chambers were able to argue that foie gras would be eaten in Switzerland even after an import ban.
The product would then simply be bought abroad. Especially in western Switzerland, foie gras is an integral part of the local food culture. Opponents of an import ban also said that declaration requirements had proven successful.
Proponents countered that the fattening of ducks and geese was cruel to animals.
The debate was sparked by a motion from Martin Haab (People’s Party, Zurich). The House of Representatives approved this in February 2022. At the time, this chamber was still in favor of an import ban. Before Thursday’s debate, the House of Representatives’ preliminary advisory commission also requested that the motion be retained in its original wording.
In Switzerland, signatures are currently being collected for a popular initiative for a ban on foie gras imports. The organization Alliance Animale Suisse is behind the request. In Switzerland, “stuffing” birds is prohibited.
According to Alliance Animale Suisse, Switzerland imports 200,000 kilograms of goose foie gras every year.
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. You can find them here.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
Swiss broadcaster appoints Eurovision Song Contest officials
This content was published on
The SBC Executive Board has appointed Reto Peritz and Moritz Stadler from SRF and RTS as the managers charged with overseeing the ESC 2025 task force.
F1 Sauber cleared of unauthorised advertising, rules Swiss commission
This content was published on
The Sauber F1 racing team is not engaging in unauthorized advertising for online gambling: this is the conclusion reached by the Swiss Federal Gaming Board.
‘Alpha Uno’: Swiss fighter jets take off and land on motorway
This content was published on
The Swiss Air Force is conducting a military exercise on the motorway in canton Vaud between the Payerne and Avenches municipalities on Wednesday.
Federal offices and Xplain adopt data protection recommendations
This content was published on
Swiss authorities and its private contract processors are required to review their cooperation after an investigation into leaked data.
This content was published on
Heavy rainfall has caused severe flooding in northern Armenia and cost lives. Switzerland dispatched a team of seven engineers to the region.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Responsible business initiative rejected at the ballot box
This content was published on
A majority of cantons rejected the responsible business initiative, sealing its fate. But it managed to secure the popular vote.
Has a new price premium on cocoa really helped struggling African farmers?
This content was published on
Farmers in Ivory Coast - the world’s largest cocoa-producing nation - are getting less for their cocoa despite a new living wage premium.
Is it time to say goodbye to exotic leather watch straps?
This content was published on
Straps made from alligator or other reptile skins have become a mainstay of Swiss luxury timepieces but a ban in California is forcing a rethink.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.