Not every aging cow in Switzerland ends up at the slaughterhouse. Some lucky ones get the right to a secure old age in retirement. The portal Swissinfo.ch visited several such "chosen ones," living out their retirement in comfortable conditions on a special livestock farm.
Bella may be a small cow, but she has beautiful features, and you would give half your life for eyelashes like hers. This fourteen-year-old representative of the rare Hinterwald breed is one of 18 horned "pensioners" living on the farm of Werner and Erika Horber in the village of Blasenberg in the northeastern Swiss canton of Thurgau.
The farm participates in a project called "Viva La Vacca," whose goal is to provide comfortable living conditions for animals that no longer give milk but are still loved by their owners, who are not ready to send them to slaughter to be turned into the Swiss favorite sausage "cervelat." The Horbers' farm is one of four places where cows like Bella can peacefully live out the rest of their days.
"At first, what we do seemed like some strange whim to other people, and one of my friends even stopped talking to me for a while because he thought cows were only meant to give milk and that I just wanted to show the world that I was better than everyone else. But now everyone seems to understand the meaning and purpose of our project," says Werner Horber.
Werner worked with dairy cows for 30 years, producing cheese. In 2012, he decided to shut down this production due to a sharp drop in milk prices and the high cost of repairing the cowshed. That same year, he joined the "Viva La Vacca" project, taking on seven cows that a neighboring farmer could no longer care for due to health problems. "Caring for retired cows, we earn more and work less than when we had a dairy farm," says Werner's wife Erika.
The "Viva La Vacca" project exists thanks to sponsorship support. Among the most active sponsors is the animal rights organization "Tierschutzverein Bischofszell-Weinfelden," which pays the Horbers 200 Swiss francs monthly for their care services for each cow. Most sponsors are individuals who can even visit the animals they personally sponsor. One of the most frequent visitors to the farm is a Swiss man who sponsors a bull named Leo.
"Leo was only seven months old when he was about to be taken to the slaughterhouse, but he miraculously escaped by showing character and breaking free from people's hands and running onto a busy highway. He was caught, returned, and the incident was reported in the news. As a result, Leo got a sponsor who wanted to save him and prevent him from turning into meat," says Werner. Now Leo is seven years old, one of the youngest residents of the farm. The oldest here is the cow Korba, aged 21.
Not everyone is capable of caring for animals, especially within a project like "Viva La Vacca." Such a farmer must have a positive attitude toward the project, sufficient experience in caring for cows, a pasture, and a cowshed protected from the weather. He must also guarantee that the cows spend enough time outdoors.
"At first, it was difficult for us to find farms willing to take in 'retired cows.' But since then, much has changed; the project initiators managed to generate interest among many farmers, so now we can choose who to work with," says Reinhold Zepf, president of the "Tierschutzverein Bischofszell-Weinfelden" organization.
The elderly animals receive special care appropriate for their advanced age. They are fed according to a special diet aimed at prolonging their lives. Unlike productive and active dairy or beef cattle, the old animals are not fed young grass, which causes obesity. Even the grass used for hay is allowed to grow taller before being mowed and dried. This way, the farmer provides a balanced diet for the old cows and ensures they stay healthy longer. They are also allowed to sleep longer.
"There is no need to run to the cowshed at 6 a.m. for milking. Sometimes, when I come to feed them at 8 a.m., they are still dozing," says Werner. The emphasis is on ensuring the animals have a stress-free life at all costs, even if it means interfering with the natural order of things. For example, bulls must be castrated before being accepted into the herd.
"The only thing I miss on the farm now is baby calves. But young animals are a source of extra stress for adult animals, so we don't have them," says Werner, shaking his head a little sadly.
The idea for the project was born 15 years ago when a school teacher was shocked to learn that a local cow named Kassja was to be sent to slaughter after she stopped giving milk due to old age. This teacher and his students had repeatedly visited the farm near Schaffhausen where the cow lived and had grown very attached to her. He agreed to sponsor Kassja's "pension," but could not find a "retirement home" for her. Thus, the "Viva La Vacca" project was born.
Currently, four farms from the northeastern regions of Switzerland, near the German border, are participating in the project. In total, 40 cows and bulls live "in retirement" at this bovine nursing home. The "Viva La Vacca" project is supported by 250 sponsors and another 60 people, each of whom looks after one specific animal.