A movement has been created in Switzerland to support cow bells

“This is much more than just bells for animals. It is about how we, the Swiss, want to live, preserve and maintain the culture and traditions in our country,” said Andreas Baumann, president of the initiative committee.

Controversy over cow bells arises from time to time in Switzerland. In Aarwangen, in the canton of Bern, the population has mobilized in recent months to support the melodious ringing of bells. Within a few weeks, 1,100 people had signed the initiative, representing about a third of the voting population.

However, Aarwangen is now forced to adopt official rules regulating sound and the need for silence in accordance with noise control regulations. The locality will develop a new set of rules, which will be presented in 2024.

Previously, the issue of bells occupied the courts of Lucerne and even the federal court. The owner of a residential complex adjacent to the pasture filed a lawsuit against excessive noise and demanded that the farmer be prohibited from hanging bells on his cattle between 20:00 and 7:00.

The courts also accepted the farmer's argument that young animals tend to break through the fence and searching for animals without acoustic support in the forest at night would be difficult.