Swiss parliament says no to ban on snakeskin imports

06/12/2012
The upper house of the Swiss federal parliament, the Council of States, has narrowly rejected calls for a ban on imports of snakeskin from Indonesia. The matter became the subject of a debate in parliament after a television documentary showed footage of snakes being cruelly treated in the Asian country.

One politician from Basel, Anita Fetz, said during the debate that anyone who had seen the documentary would conclude that a ban on imports was the best response Switzerland could offer, but others argued that such a step from a small country like Switzerland would make too little impact on the sector and that a better course of action was for the country to become a vocal supporter of international initiatives aimed at improving conditions in the exotic skins supply chain.