The Swiss people will vote in a referendum on a proposal to ban the import of foie gras and cruelly obtained animal skins, after federal authorities gave the green light to both animal rights initiatives.. The proposals were launched in 2022 by the Swiss Animal Alliance coalition, and reached the 100,000 signatures required by law for them to be submitted to a referendum and now the body in charge of their verification has confirmed their validity.

According to its initiators, importing this type of products from animals abused abroad is “hypocritical”, since it conflicts with the Swiss animal protection law, which recognizes that animals have the capacity to suffer in case of abuse or living in bad conditions.

In the case of goose liver, known as foie gras, its production has been prohibited in Switzerland for more than 40 years. However, Parliament has refused to ban this product, considering that this would push Swiss consumers living in areas close to France to buy this product in the neighboring country, since it is allowed there.. The import of foie gras shows a downward trend in the country, although it still amounts to about 200 tons annually, being a product especially in demand at Christmas dinners.

Meanwhile, environmentalists have estimated that about 350 tons of skins arrive in Switzerland every year, half of them from China, where, they have recalled, “the terrible conditions of detention and slaughter of animals are regularly reported.”