Switzerland is revising its veterinary legislation

Several ordinances relating to the veterinary sector—including those on animal protection and slaughter—have just been amended by the Swiss Federal Council. At its meeting on January 10, the Federal Council adopted new measures aimed at promoting practices that better respect animal welfare. The main changes concern the keeping of pets and Livestock. The new provisions will take effect on March 1, 2018.  

• Events Involving Animals

The organizer of an event (exhibition, trade show, sports competition, etc.) must now ensure that a competent person cares for the animals involved, even though their owner remains primarily responsible for their animal welfare. Thus, the organizer will be required to take action if participants fail to fulfill their duty of care. Animals exhibiting signs of stress must be removed from the event grounds and housed in a reassuring environment. On the sidelines of the event, it will be prohibited to set up enclosures displaying rabbits, rodents, and chicks to the public . Furthermore, it will no longer be permitted to exhibit “animals subject to moderate or severe constraints.”

• Illegal Dog Trade and Anti-Barking Devices

To combat the illegal trade in dogs through classified ads, sellers must now include their address and the animals’ origin. Furthermore, the information required for entry into the central dog database (Amicus) has been specified to improve the traceability of animals imported into Switzerland. Furthermore, all automatic systems designed to prevent a dog from barking will be banned, including devices that use water jets or compressed air.  

• Better Protection for Lobsters

Lobsters and other live walking decapods may no longer be transported on ice or in iced water and must be stunned before being killed. The practice of immersing them in boiling water is no longer permitted. From now on, aquatic species, including lobsters, must always be kept in their natural environment.  

• Declaration of Pet Enclosures

Businesses selling enclosures must inform buyers, in writing, of the animal species that may be kept in them, to prevent the sale of cages that are too small. In addition, the seller will be required to provide the buyer with a guide on animal welfare for the animal species in question.  

• Animal Welfare

In animal testing, the animal protection officer will play a key role in supporting researchers during the authorization process and will serve as the point of contact for cantonal veterinary services. In particular, the animal welfare officer must ensure that all information necessary to assess the necessity of the experiment is included in the authorization application.  

• Humane Euthanasia

If a sick or injured animal cannot be treated or is suffering unduly, the prescription defines the criteria for “humane” killing in accordance with animal protection requirements.   Finally, the Federal Office for Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs (OSAV) has developed a series of species-specific guidelines that will be provided to professionals to better explain the new provisions.