GENEVA — The result was emphatic: Swiss voters don’t think abused animals need to have their own lawyers.
It is a proposal that would never even come near a referendum in other countries, but the measure’s defeat Sunday disappointed animal-rights advocates, who say Switzerland’s elaborate animal-welfare laws aren’t being enforced.
Opponents of the proposal, including key farmers’ groups and the government, had argued that existing laws are sufficient and appointing special lawyers to act on behalf of animals would be unnecessarily expensive for taxpayers.
“The Swiss people have clearly said our animal protection laws are so good we don’t need animal lawyers,” said Jakob Buechler, a lawmaker for the centrist Christian People’s Party.
Switzerland has among the strictest rules anywhere when it comes to caring for pets and farm animals. The country’s 160-page animal protection law states — among other care details — exactly how much space owners must give Mongolian gerbils (233 square inches) and what water temperature is required for African clawed frogs (64 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit).
