The most important terms relating to livestock keeping, notification requirements, and direct payments in Switzerland — explained clearly and concisely.
TVD (Tierverkehrsdatenbank)
The central Swiss database in which farm animals and their movements (birth, arrival, departure, death) are recorded. It serves traceability purposes, for example in the event of a disease outbreak, and is operated via agate.ch. Notification deadlines depend on the type of event and apply equally to sheep, goats, and cattle: births within 30 days, arrivals and departures within 3 days.
TAMV (Tierarzneimittelverordnung)
The regulation governing the handling of veterinary medicinal products. Among other things, it requires livestock keepers to maintain a treatment journal.
Treatment journal
A record of all medicinal treatments: animal, medication, dosage, date, and withdrawal period. Mandatory under TAMV and must be available for inspection.
Withdrawal period
The period following a treatment during which milk or meat from an animal must not enter the food chain, until any medicinal residues have been eliminated.
RAUS (Regelmässiger Auslauf ins Freie)
A voluntary direct-payment programme that promotes regular outdoor access for animals (pasture or exercise yard). The outdoor time must be documented in an exercise log.
BTS (Besonders tierfreundliche Stallhaltung)
A voluntary programme promoting animal-friendly housing systems in the barn (e.g. bedded lying areas, natural light). Can be combined with RAUS.
Alpine summering (Sömmerung)
The keeping of animals on alpine pastures during the summer months. Moving animals up and bringing them back down are notifiable animal movements.
LSU (Livestock unit)
A unit of measurement that makes different animal species comparable. Sheep and goats correspond to a fraction of one LSU depending on their category; it is relevant for subsidies and herd size calculations, among other things.
Ear tag / double ear tag
The official identification of each animal with a unique number. Sheep and goats carry a double ear tag (two tags with the same number); cattle also carry two ear tags and must be accompanied by a transport document when moved.
Initial registration
The first-time registration of an animal or a farm in the TVD — a prerequisite for being able to submit notifications at all.
Transport document
The document that must accompany animals during transport and identifies the origin, destination, and animals.
Livestock keeper
Anyone who keeps animals for agricultural purposes. Livestock keepers are subject to notification, identification, and record-keeping obligations.
Livestock protection
Measures to protect farm animals from large predators (e.g. fencing, livestock guardian dogs). Partially subsidised; measures must be documented.
FAMACHA
An assessment scheme for estimating anaemia in sheep and goats based on the colour of the lower eyelid — helps target deworming treatments against gastrointestinal worms.