All of the 26 Swiss cantons on Sunday voted against the proposal by animal rights activists to extend nationwide a system already in place in Zurich. Overall, just 29.5 per cent of voters were in favour. In seven cantons the "No" vote was more than 80 per cent.The Alpine country already has among the most stringent animal rights laws in the world. It recently changed its constitution to protect the "dignity" of plant life and made a law last year establishing rights for creatures such as goldfish and canaries. Pigs, budgies and other social creatures cannot be kept alone; horses and cows must be regularly exercised outside their stalls and dog owners are required to take a training course to learn how to properly care for their pets.
If citizens had voted for the initiative, each canton would have appointed a lawyer to act on behalf of animals at taxpayers' expense.
The government, parliament and the country's biggest party, the Right-wing Swiss People's Party, were against the proposal. On Sunday Jakob Buechler, a lawmaker for the centrist Christian People's Party, said: "The Swiss people have clearly said our animal protection laws are so good we don't need animal lawyers."
Opponents also included farmers, already struggling with reduced subsidies and falling milk prices. Many feared the introduction of animal lawyers would lead to costly and unnecessary bureaucracy.
No, really?
The president of the Swiss Farmers' Union, Hansjorg Walter, said: "Voters have taken a pragmatic decision and acknowledged that Switzerland has one of the strictest animal welfare laws. "The Union wants proper enforcement of animal welfare. Violations harm the image of farmers. But there are stringent checks and penalties for misconduct are already severe."
Sunday's referendum took place after activists from the Swiss Animal Protection (SAP) collected more than the 100,000 signatures required to force a national ballot. In order to win the vote, a majority of cantons and voters were needed.
The canton of Zurich has had its own animal lawyer since 1992. Antoine Goetschel's clients include dogs, cats, guinea pigs, farm animals and, recently, a large pike.
"It took 10 minutes of struggle to reel the pike in before killing it. I regard that as cruelty. If someone had done that to a puppy, there would have been outrage," he said.
He should never go deep-sea fishing ...
"People accused of animal cruelty very often hire lawyers to defend themselves. Why shouldn't someone speak for the animal as well? It's about fairness and defending a minority."
What did the pike think?
He said it was "a pity" that the vote had been rejected, but that he was not surprised. He said: "Animal welfare has been a big topic in Switzerland in the last few years and perhaps this has been too much for some Swiss. Also, for some the institution of an animal lawyer is too bizarre."
