Swiss village set to voteto keep cowbells ringing
AARWANGEN, Switzerland—Cows grazing on lush pastures with ornate metal bells gently tinkling around their necks may be one of the ultimate symbols of Switzerland, but not everyone is enchanted by such traditional scenes.
In the village of Aarwangen in central Switzerland, a complaint was filed earlier this year over the noise levels from a herd of around 15 cows grazing overnight on a field next to a residential area.
Two couples in rental apartments overlooking the field asked authorities to intervene and ensure the farmer removed the bells at night.
The reaction was swift and fierce, with overwhelming demands for a local vote to protect the traditional use of bells. Petitioners only needed to gather backing from 10 percent of those eligible to vote in the village of 4,800 people—about 380 signatures—to push the issue to a vote under Switzerland’s famous direct democracy system.
Instead, they showed up with 1,099 signatures for their “Bell Initiative,” aimed at maintaining the right of farmers to use cowbells at all hours.
“That’s enormous,” municipality president Niklaus Lundsgaard-Hansen said.
The initiative will be officially presented before village voters at a municipal assembly on Monday, with the popular vote expected to take place next June. —AFP
