Open Letter: The Council of States Must Make Animal Welfare a Condition

In an open letter, we—along with 15 other animal welfare organizations—are calling for binding animal welfare standards in the Mercosur agreement. During the fall session, the Council of States will debate the free trade agreement with the Mercosur countries. Among other things, it is intended to facilitate market access for beef from Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. However, if the agreement is adopted in its current form, even more meat products from intensive feedlot cattle farming could enter Switzerland in the future, putting local farmers under pressure.

In a letter published jointly with the Foundation for Animals in Law (TIR) and supported by 15 other organizations, we therefore call on the members of the Council of States to enshrine binding and enforceable animal welfare standards in the Mercosur Agreement. Duty-free market access for animal products must be contingent upon compliance with verifiable animal welfare standards.

For our latest investigation, we documented 21 feedlots approved for export in collaboration with our partner organization, the Animal Welfare Foundation. We identified serious animal welfare problems at all of these facilities: contaminated drinking water, a lack of resting areas and shade, extreme heat, and cattle standing in mud after rain. We also frequently found injured and sick animals that were not detected due to the sheer size of these feedlots.

Feeding practices in feedlots are also problematic. To qualify as so-called “high-quality beef,” cattle must be fed a diet consisting of at least 70 percent grain for a minimum of 100 days prior to slaughter. Such intensive fattening would not be possible on grass pastures and requires feedlot conditions. 

“Under the Swiss Animal Welfare Act, keeping animals under these conditions would clearly constitute animal cruelty and lead to criminal penalties,” says Sibel Konyo of the Stiftung für das Tier im Recht.
“Swiss farmers must comply with the animal welfare standards in effect in Switzerland and bear the associated additional costs. It is unacceptable that meat is simultaneously imported from production systems that would be prohibited in this country,” adds our project manager, Sabrina Gurtner.

Now that the National Council has rejected the agreement in its current form, the decision rests with the Council of States. TSB and TIR demand: No preferential or duty-free market access for meat without binding animal welfare requirements.

Find the open letter here (in German). 

Our call is supported by:  

• Animals - A Crime
• Animal Equality Germany 
• Arbeitsgemeinschaft für artgerechte Nutztierhaltung e.V.
• Deutscher Tierschutzbund
• Deutsche Juristische Gesellschaft für Tierschutzrecht e.V.
• Menschen für Tierrechte 
• Mensch Fair Tier 
• Pro Vieh 
• Tier & Mensch
• Tierärzte für verantwortbare Landwirtschaft e.V.
• Tierärztliche Vereinigung für Tierschutz e.V. 
• Tierschutz Entwicklungshilfe e.V.