Amendment of the Release Ordinance

The government adopted an amendment to the Ordinance on the Handling of Pathogenic or Alien Organisms in the Environment (Release Ordinance) at its meeting on Tuesday, August 20, 2024.

The amendment serves to implement the changes to the Swiss Release Ordinance. The aim is to prohibit the placing on the market of certain invasive neophytes and to introduce measures to improve the enforcement of bans on the handling and placing on the market of neophytes.

The amendment concerns Annex 1 of the Release Ordinance, which contains a list of prohibited invasive alien organisms. The amendment extends the previous list of eleven plant species to 22 new plant species or groups of plant species. These plants pose a high risk to the environment due to their ecological characteristics, their harmfulness and the unavailability of suitable control measures.

The other articles amended in the Swiss Release Ordinance apply in Liechtenstein via the Customs Treaty. This will continue to ensure a harmonized legal situation with Switzerland in the area of invasive alien organisms. The revised ordinance will enter into force on September 1, 2024.

Press contact:

Ministry of Home Affairs, Economy and Environment
Oliver Müller, Office of Environment, Nature and Landscape
T +423 236 64 09
[email protected]