On Wednesday, November 21, 2018, Switzerland was preparing to vote on a referendum that would decide whether farmers should be paid to keep cows’ and goats’ horns intact. The proposal had become a national talking point in a country where livestock is both a symbol and a political issue.
The campaign was driven by farmer Armin Capaul, 66, who spent nine years pushing for cash support to cover the extra space horned animals need. He said the idea came from “listening” to his cows and from a belief that dehorning should be reduced.
“We must respect cows as they are. Leave them their horns. When you look at them they always hold their head high and are proud. When you remove the horns, they are sad,” he told Reuters on his small farm in northwestern Switzerland.
Three-quarters of Swiss cows are either dehorned or born without horns. Capaul’s supporters argue that dehorning is painful and unnatural, while opponents say it is a practical safety measure for animals and humans.
He first tried lobbying before turning to the ballot box. After gathering more than 100,000 signatures, he forced a national vote. Polling at the time suggested the result was too close to call.
The referendum also exposed a wider debate over farming costs and state support. The Swiss government opposed the plan, saying it could take as much as 30 million francs from the country’s 3 billion franc annual agricultural budget and would place an extra burden on the constitution.
Swiss Economy Minister Johann Schneider-Ammann said the country regularly sends major questions to voters. “In Switzerland it’s usual for issues to be brought to the people for a vote - every important question or less important question,” he said.
Not all farmers were on Capaul’s side. Stefan Gilgen, who keeps 48 cows and supplies 1,000 litres of milk a day to Swiss dairy Emmi AG, said horned cattle can create more risk in the barn. “Our current system in the stable has advantages, the cows get along better with each other. If cows have horns, the danger of injuries to the animals and humans is greater,” he said. “Each farm should decide for itself. We have other problems in agriculture.”
In Vaud canton, Reuters observed veterinarian Jean-Marie Surer dehorning three calves. He anaesthetised each animal before using a very hot iron to burn the horn buds, a process that produced smoke and a burning smell.
“Using a very hot iron for seven seconds, I burned the skin and blood vessels which irrigate the horn bud, so it won’t grow,” Surer said as he applied disinfectant. “It is painless, they didn’t move even an ear.”
Capaul’s unusual campaign, marked by his long gray beard and hand-knitted red hat, had turned him into a media figure in Switzerland. By then, he had become one of the most recognisable faces in the debate over whether horned cattle should be subsidised.
