A referendum is to be held in Switzerland on protecting the use of cowbells. The background is that two couples in the Swiss village of Aarwangen earlier this year filed complaints about loud sounds from cowbells from 15 grazing cows during the nights.
The two couples asked local authorities to tell the farmer who owned the cows to remove the bells during the nights. A proposal that provoked strong reactions from the village’s residents.
Now the residents want a referendum on preserving the cowbells as part of the cultural heritage. In order to pass a referendum, the promoters needed to collect ten percent of the village’s inhabitants, 380 people – instead they received over 1,000 signatures to support the proposal.
The initiative will be officially presented to the village’s residents on Monday and the referendum is scheduled to take place in June.