Switzerland’s Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) recently published the results of its farm inspections in 2018.

© Melissa Mahoney | Dreamstime.com
35% of the 10,647 inspections were done without warning, a percentage above the 10% minimum.
87% of farms were found to be operating on or above minimum Swiss animal welfare standards, while 13% were below the minimum.
According to an RTS interview, many of the infractions were oversights, such as not giving an animal water on a hot day.
Others however, were more serious. In 2016, around 10% of infractions were serious, according to RTS.
- Switzerland bans boiling lobsters alive (Le News)
- Swiss fact: Switzerland first country to consider dignity of animals in constitution (Le News)
In 2018, there were 613 legal judgements for animal mistreatment against farmers and animal transporters.
At the same time, Switzerland is a trailblazer for animal welfare. Switzerland was the first nation to mention animal dignity in its constitution. In 2018, Switzerland banned boiling lobsters alive.
The most mistreated animals are cattle and pigs.
Swiss farms are inspected by cantonal authorities every four years.
More on this:
FSVO press release (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
For more stories like this on Switzerland follow us on Facebook and Twitter.