Foie gras initiative: indirect counter-proposal tabled
The Swiss House of Representatives and the Senate have put forward an indirect counter-proposal to the popular initiative calling for a ban on the import of foie gras. They are recommending that voters reject the initiative, which was submitted in 2023, at the ballot box.
On Tuesday, the Senate adopted the recommendation to vote no by 28 votes to 11, with four abstentions. The House of Representatives had already decided in March to recommend that the public vote no. At the time, it did so by 105 votes to 58, with 21 abstentions.
Before the Senate adopted its voting recommendation, it somewhat surprisingly fell into line with the House of Representatives on the indirect counter-proposal to the popular initiative. In doing so, it resolved the final differences.
The core of the counter-proposal is that the federal government will not ban the import of foie gras into Switzerland. However, Switzerland is seeking, through new legal provisions, to ensure that, over time, less and less foie gras and other goose or duck foie gras products are consumed in Switzerland.
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