'Surprisingly Few' Signatures Invalid For Ban On Animal Testing

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) The initiative to ban animal testing was submitted in November with around 127,600 signatures. Following a scandal about signature collection, "surprisingly few" signatures are not valid, the initiative's organisers have now said, based on figures from the Federal Chancellery.

This content was published on January 14, 2025 - 10:57 2 minutes Keystone-SDA

• Deutsch de Nur wenige ungültige Unterschriften für Tierversuchsverbot Original Read more: Nur wenige ungültige Unterschriften für Tierversuchsverbo

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According to the Federal Chancellery, only 217 signatures were invalid. This low figure is surprising, wrote Renato Werndli, president of the IG Tierversuchsverbotsinitiative (initiative to ban animal testing), on Monday.

Werndli wrote that the organisation had collaborated with a number of companies suspected of forging signatures. The proportion of invalid signatures for the animal testing ban is lower than for other petitions.

Allegedly forged signatures for popular initiatives, collected for money by companies, made headlines in 2024. Two criminal charges are pending.

+ 'Signatures scam' reveals cracks in Swiss system

The government spoke out against a ban on paid collections. However, the Federal Chancellery set up a round table.

Its aim is to develop a code of conduct. Among the participants was the IG Tierversuchsverbotsinitiative. The Social Democratic Party and the farmers' association, on the other hand, left the round table in December because they are calling for a ban on commercial signature collections.

Translated from German by DeepL/ts

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