Switzerland’s Federal Council has introduced new labelling requirements for meat, eggs, and milk originating from animals that have undergone certain painful procedures without anesthesia.
The following products must now display additional information about their production method:
- Beef from animals that have been castrated or dehorned without anesthesia;
- Pork if castration, tail docking, or teeth clipping was performed without anesthesia;
- Eggs and meat from chickens whose beaks were clipped without pain relief;
- Milk from cows dehorned without pain relief;
- Frog legs obtained without anesthesia;
- The liver and meat of geese and ducks from force-fed production. Force-feeding is banned in Switzerland, but the requirements will still apply to imported products.
“A long way to go”
The changes came into force on July 1, though there will be a transition period of two years. The declaration requirement applies to all companies that offer the affected foods, including restaurants and small businesses.
The Federal Council has also just prohibited the import of fur and fur products produced through animal cruelty, once again with a two-year transition period.
Last year, a new version of the Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW) gave 93% of global food companies a low rating for animal welfare improvements. Furthermore, recent data from the UK indicates that the vast majority of people oppose common farming practices such as keeping animals in small cages, cutting off the beaks of newborn chicks, and removing calves’ horn buds with a hot iron.
“There’s a long way to go for the food sector to turn awareness and commitment into demonstrable animal welfare benefits, with large numbers of farmed animals still suffering from inhumane practices such as close confinement or routine mutilations,” said Nicky Amos, Executive Director of the BBFAW, last year.
