In a national referendum to end on Sunday, Swiss are voting on whether cows and goats should keep their horns, with dehorning opponents saying that the animals are happiest when they are left the way nature intended.

The referendum was forced under Switzerland's system of direct democracy after cattle herder Armin Capaul managed to collect enough signatures for a corresponding petition. If there are enough "yes" votes, the practice of dehorning would not be abolished, but Swiss farmers would receive state compensation for leaving the animals with their horns.

Capaul, 67, who raises cattle in the canton of Bern, said he has heard "many calves screaming with pain" while being dehorned.

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Dangerous not to?

That the animals suffer terribly is denied by proponents of the practice, such as Swiss Agriculture Minister Johann Schneider-Ammann, who said he saw many such operations as a boy and "never had the impression that they suffer."

Horns are usually removed with a hot iron using local anesthesia.

Critics of the referendum proposal also say that animals with horns pose a danger to farmers and that larger stalls would be needed to house them. Patrizia Andina, from the Swiss Veterinary Society, voiced concern that more cows could be tied up in their stalls if the referendum proposal passed, something that "would not serve their well-being."

Polls suggest that the referendum will be close-run after parliament expressed its opposition, saying it would be too expensive.

Three-quarters of cows raised in Switzerland do not have horns. Many breeds of cattle, however, are born without them.

tj/sms (AP, dpa)

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