The Association
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HAFLINGER-PENTAGON Sàrl-GmbH | 28 April 2026 | on behalf of Hansruedi Vonlanthen

Six years of deadlock — and now a turning point

Swiss Haflinger horse breeding is fighting for its survival

 

The Haflinger breed is managed worldwide by three recognised organisations maintaining studbooks of origin (UZB): the Haflinger Horse Breeding Association of Tyrol (HPT), the A.N.A.C.R.Ha.I. from South Tyrol and the FN Germany. In Switzerland, Haflinger-Pentagon Sàrl-GmbH acts as the umbrella organisation coordinating Swiss breeders in conjunction with these three UZBs — in accordance with the European Animal Breeding Regulation EU-VO 2016/1012, which has been in force since 2021.

The problem: The Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG), represented by the Head of the Animal Products and Animal Breeding Division, Mr Christian Stricker, has for years refused to recognise Haflinger-Pentagon Sàrl-GmbH as a breeding organisation — thereby blocking the legally compliant implementation of the European breeding programme in Switzerland.

This blockade is not new. As early as 2019, Mr Stricker’s predecessor, Niklaus Neuenschwander, refused any cooperation. At that time, only seven fillies per year were registered with the Swiss Haflinger Association (SHV) — five of them for sale. A population nearing extinction.

As a direct consequence of the official blockade, Haflinger-Schweiz-Gestüt-Zucht was forced in November 2019 to formally hand back responsibility for management to the FOAG — a unique, documented act of incapacity to act.

 

With the entry into force of the completely revised Animal Breeding Ordinance (TZV) on 1 January 2026, the Federal Council has taken a decisive step: from now on, horse breeding will be separated from general animal breeding in a separate set of regulations. A clear separation between animal breeding and horse breeding is thus enshrined in law.

This means: The FOAG’s previous reasoning, which was used to refuse recognition of Haflinger-Pentagon Sàrl-GmbH as an umbrella organisation, is itself refuted by the new Ordinance. The implementation of the Horse Breeding Ordinance 2026 must take place without the contradictory articles of the old Animal Breeding Ordinance — in accordance with the will of the legislature and international guidelines.

On 23 April 2026, the General Secretariat of the Federal Department of Education, Research and Innovation (WBF), signed by Deputy Secretary-General Zeljko Marinovic, confirmed in writing: The BLW is now tasked with deciding on the application by Haflinger-Pentagon Sàrl-GmbH in the form of a decision – that is, a legally binding, appealable decision. This opens the way to the Federal Administrative Court for the first time, should the FOAG reject the application again.

 

Responsibility for horse breeding belongs in the hands of the horse breeding organisations — not under the sole authority of a federal official who is simultaneously the decision-maker, supervisor and arbiter in his own cause. The drafting of implementation guidelines in accordance with the Horse Breeding Ordinance is absolutely essential and must be carried out by the horse breeding organisations.

After six years of deadlock — and the resulting dramatic decline in Haflinger horse breeding in Switzerland — the time has now come for a legally compliant solution.

 

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Haflinger-Pentagon Sàrl-GmbH | on behalf of Hansruedi Vonlanthen

Impasse des Chênes 12, 1784 Courtepin | uzb@haflinger-pentagon.ch | www.haflinger-pentagon.ch