Animal experimentation

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Valérie Clerc <br>Secretary General <br>Tel. +41 31 306 92 71 <br><a href="javascript:dcmt('155083136145138151136101152134146156083136141');"><script type="text/javascript"> // <![CDATA[ document.write(dcmadr("155083136145138151136101152134146156083136141")); // ]]> </script></a> </p> </div> </div> </li> </ul> </nav> <div class="lang"> <ul class="language-nav"> <li class="language-nav-item DE"> <a href="/de/Projekte/Uebersicht-der-Projekte/Tierversuche.html">DE</a> </li> <li class="language-nav-item FR"> <a href="/fr/Projets/Apercu-des-projets/Experimentation-animale.html">FR</a> </li> <li class="language-nav-item EN active"> <a href="/en/Projects/Overview-of-projects/Animal-experimentation.html">EN</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </header> <div class="wrapper"> <div class="content-wrapper"> <div class="title-bg"></div> <div class="content-container"> <h1>Animal experimentation</h1> <p class="ST M-ST"> <a href="/en.html">SAMS</a> » <a href="/en/Projects.html">Projects</a> » <a href="/en/Projects/Overview-of-projects.html">Projects A–Z</a> » <a href="/en/Projects/Overview-of-projects/Animal-experimentation.html">Animal experimentation</a> </p> <div class="content"> <div class="textabschnitt"><p class="LEAD M-LEAD"> Animal experiments are still an elementary component of biological basic research as well as research to protect the life and health of humans beings and animals and the natural environment. The applicable Swiss legislation is among the strictest in the world, and current enforcement practice promotes the conduct of ethically responsible research.</p></div> <div class="text-GT"> <div class="GT M-GT"><p>In various fields of scientific research, animal experimentation makes a vital contribution to our understanding of fundamental biological processes, to the development of therapeutic approaches for human and animal diseases, and to protection of the natural environment. Animal experiments in Switzerland are subject to the requirements of Swiss animal welfare legislation and must thus be limited to the indispensable minimum.</p> <p> </p> <p>For each individual animal experiment, indispensability is assessed in advance in a consideration of proportionateness. Here, it is examined whether the animal experiment is suitable, necessary and appropriate. This requires, inter alia, that the criteria of good research practice are complied with, and that the <a href="https://swiss3rcc.org/" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">3Rs principle</a> (replacement, reduction, refinement) is observed. Finally, based on the weighing of interests, it is determined whether the anticipated benefits of the animal experiment outweigh the expected strains imposed on the animals.</p> <p> </p> <p>The SAMS seeks to ensure that animal experiments are conducted in accordance with the highest standards of good research practice and in an ethically responsible manner. Together with its sister academy SCNAT, it operates the Ethics Committee for Animal Experimentation (ECAE).</p> <p style="margin-left:0cm; margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-left:0cm; margin-right:0cm"> </p> </div> </div><div class="text-GT"> <h2>Ethics Committee for Animal Experimentation (ECAE)</h2> <div class="GT M-GT"><p>The Ethics Committee for Animal Experimentation (ECAE) acts as an expert and advisory body in the area of animal experimentation. It anticipates and discusses ethical challenges arising from research involving animals, with the aim of promoting high-quality, responsible and scientifically robust research. Its members are drawn from the fields of research, veterinary medicine, animal welfare, law and ethics.</p> <p> </p> <p><a href="/en/Portrait/Commissions/Ethics-Committee-for-Animal-Experimentation.html">Ethics Committee for Animal Experimentation (ECAE)</a></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> </div> </div><div class="text-GT"> <h2>The SCNAT web portal «Animal experimentation explained»</h2> <div class="GT M-GT"><p>Science is just one element among many in the societal debate on the acceptability and regulation of animal experiments. The SAMS wishes to promote discussion of this topic from a wide variety of perspectives. The web portal of the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT) provides a forum where researchers from the Swiss Laboratory Animal Science Association (SGV) give answers to frequently asked questions on animal experiments in Switzerland.</p> <p> </p> <p><a href="https://naturalsciences.ch/animal-experimentation-explained" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">To the SCNAT web portal</a></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> </div> </div><div class="text-GT"> <h2>STAAR Commission</h2> <div class="GT M-GT"><p>In 2022, the STAAR Commission – Swiss Transparency Agreement on Animal Research – was created by swissuniversities to provide support for organisations which carry out or fund animal research in their communication with the public. Members of STAAR are committed to open and transparent communication on animal research and explanation of their reasons for supporting it. STAAR brings together both public and private organisations, including the Swiss Academies, which are represented by the ECAE Chair, Professor Hanno Würbel. As stated in the STAAR Declaration, the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences are committed to transparent dialogue on animal experimentation.</p> <p> </p> <p><a href="https://akademien-schweiz.ch/en/uber-uns/staar-deklaration/" target="_blank">STAAR Declaration</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.swissuniversities.ch/en/organisation/bodies/chamber-of-universities/bodies/swiss-transparency-agreement-on-animal-research-staar" target="_blank">STAAR website</a></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> </div> </div><div class="text-GT"> <h2>Publications</h2> </div><div class="text-GT"> <h3>Weighing of interests for proposed animal experiments</h3> <div class="GT M-GT"><p>Under the Animal Welfare Act, animal experiments can only be licensed in Switzerland if they have undergone a formal procedure involving both scientific and ethical considerations. This takes the form of a weighing of interests – a demanding, multi-step process whereby the suitability, necessity and appropriateness of each animal experiment is assessed. The ECAE has developed guidance which explains the principle of the weighing of interests and how it is to be carried out in practice.</p> <p> </p> <p>A revised edition of the guidance was published in 2022. It is addressed not only to researchers submitting applications, but also to animal welfare officers, members of cantonal animal experimentation committees and licensing authorities responsible for reviewing applications.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> </div> </div> <div class="download-wrapper"> <div class="download-content"> <div class="titel"><h3>Weighing of interests for proposed animal experiments. Guidance for applicants (2022)</h3></div> <div class="preview"> <img src="/.imaging/mte/samw/500/dam/samw/en/Publications/Recommendations/recommendations_sams_weighing_of_interests_animal_experiments_2022_image.jpg/jcr:content/recommendations_sams_weighing_of_interests_animal_experiments_2022_image.jpg"/> </div> <div class="download-info"> <a href="/dam/jcr:5da34179-b2d4-4595-8548-6734361c4b36/recommendations_sams_weighing_of_interests_animal_experiments_2022.pdf" target="_blank""><div class="download-button"><p class="BT M-BT icon-samw-down">Download</p></div></a> <a href="mailto:order@samw.ch?subject=Order: (Pfad: /samw/en/Publications/Recommendations/Weighing of interests for proposed animal experiments. Guidance for applicants (2022))"> <div class="bestell-button"><p class="BT M-BT icon-samw-right">Order</p></div></a> <div class="download-beschreibung"><span class="GT M-GT"></span></div> </div> <div class="empty-box"></div> </div> </div><div class="text-GT"> <div class="GT M-GT"><p>In 2010, the ECAE published preliminary considerations on the concept of animal dignity and the weighing of interests.</p> <p> </p> </div> </div> <div class="download-GT"> <ul class="GT-link M-GT-link"> <li> <a class="downloadLink" href="/dam/jcr:e724f149-cb1c-4a3a-a1b1-5bc1313b6cdb/position_ecae_2010_dignity_of_animals.pdf"> The dignity of animals and the evaluation of interests in the Swiss Animal Protection Act (2010) <span class="extension">PDF, 320 KB </span> </a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="text-GT"> <h3>Licensing procedure for animal experiments</h3> <div class="GT M-GT"><p>In response to political initiatives on the restriction of animal experiments and the tightening of licensing requirements, Professor Hanno Würbel, Head of the Animal Welfare Division at the University of Bern, explains in the SAMS Bulletin 2/2019 why strict licensing procedures are important for the legitimacy of animal experiments, and how such procedures could be more effectively and efficiently implemented.</p> <p> </p> <p>SAMS Bulletin 2/2019: Licensing procedures for animal experiments: stricter controls or greater individual responsibility? (2019) available in <a href="/dam/jcr:2f38428b-53bd-4328-b388-bf0aaa81d9cf/bulletin_assm_2019_2.pdf">French</a> or <a href="/dam/jcr:42c876c7-e68d-4c96-a174-4d02b6a22453/bulletin_samw_2019_2.pdf">German</a></p> <p style="margin-left:0cm; margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-left:0cm; margin-right:0cm"> </p> </div> </div><div class="text-GT"> <h3>Animal welfare during the pandemic</h3> <div class="GT M-GT"><p>The breeding and care of laboratory animals and the conduct of animal experiments was affected by the partial lockdown of spring 2020. As a result of deficiencies in the formulation and implementation of emergency plans, there was a risk that animal welfare would not be sufficiently taken into account. Against this background, the ECAE prepared a position paper outlining the problem from an ethical perspective and offering suggestions for future situations. The paper was not based on systematic data collection, and the provision of robust data on this topic would be welcomed by the ECAE.</p> <p> </p> <p>Position paper: Handling of laboratory animals during the Covid-19 pandemic (2 December 2020) available in <a href="/dam/jcr:61450841-2258-45c6-9981-ed73b45c4c82/academies_ceea_20201202_prise_de_position_animaux_%20laboratoire_pandemie.pdf">French</a> or <a href="/dam/jcr:a96e3a20-a37b-4a86-9a34-9fbfd9fe7f14/akademien_ktve_20201202_stellungnahme_versuchstiere_in_pandemie.pdf">German</a></p> <p> </p> <p style="margin-left:0cm; margin-right:0cm"> </p> </div> </div><div class="text-GT"> <h3>Ethical principles and guidelines for animal experiments</h3> <div class="GT M-GT"><p>The Ethical Principles and Guidelines for Experiments on Animals (3rd edition, 2005), drawn up by the ECAE, are based on the recognition that, while human beings cannot dispense with scientific research on animals in order to address vital problems, the ethical principles of reverence for life and respect for the dignity of creation require animals to be protected. The guidelines are based on the conviction that researchers, as responsible people, should independently define, implement and monitor the measures required to resolve this conflict in the best possible way.</p> <p> </p> <p>Ethical Principles and Guidelines for Experiments on Animals (2005, under revision – new edition scheduled for 2024) available in <a href="/dam/jcr:5c656dfd-e351-47a3-b1ee-2d13f7dfe8d9/assm-scnat_principes-ethique-et-directives-experimentation-animale_2005.pdf">French</a> or <a href="/dam/jcr:8d5c661c-9988-4f9b-89d4-1d92cdf365d1/samw-scnat_ethische-grundsaetze-und-richtlinien-fuer-tierversuche_2005.pdf">German</a></p> <p style="margin-left:0cm; margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-left:0cm; margin-right:0cm"> </p> </div> </div><div class="text-GT"> <h2>Politics</h2> </div><div class="text-GT"> <h3>No to the popular initiative for a future without animal testing</h3> <div class="GT M-GT"><p style="margin-left:0cm; margin-right:0cm">The popular initiative for a future without animal testing was submitted on 11 November 2024. On the same day, swissuniversities, the umbrella organisation of the Swiss universities, published a press release with arguments against this initiative. A comprehensive ban on animal testing in Switzerland would have serious consequences for numerous areas of research and would significantly hamper progress, innovation and education in human and veterinary medicine, as well as other scientific disciplines. Switzerland has one of the strictest animal protection laws in the world, which ensures that animal experiments are carried out under responsible and ethical conditions. Like swissuniversities, the SAMS considers the initiative to be the wrong approach and rejects it. The arguments can be found in the swissuniversities press release of 11 November 2024 in <a href="https://www.swissuniversities.ch/fr/actualite/communiques-de-presse/initiative-pour-interdiction-de-lexperimentation-animale-compromet-le-progres-en-medecine-et-dans-le-domaine-de-lenvironnement" target="_blank">French</a> or <a href="https://www.swissuniversities.ch/aktuell/medienmitteilung/initiative-fuer-ein-verbot-von-tierversuchen-gefaehrdet-den-fortschritt-in-medizin-und-umweltthemen" target="_blank">German</a>.</p> <p style="margin-left:0cm; margin-right:0cm"> </p> </div> </div><div class="text-GT"> <h3>Popular initiative: Ban on experiments on animals and humans</h3> <div class="GT M-GT"><p style="margin-left:0cm; margin-right:0cm">In February 2022, the popular initiative for a ban on animal and human experimentation was decisively rejected (79% against). Approval of the initiative would have jeopardised progress in research and medicine, scientific training, and healthcare in Switzerland. The SAMS had therefore strongly recommended rejection of the initiative. The argumentation can be found in the SAMS Newsletter of 10 January 2022 available in <a href="https://createsend.com/t/d-72DB8026812F69A32540EF23F30FEDED" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">French</a> or <a href="http://createsend.com/t/d-5E3E41E4C8F77CA72540EF23F30FEDED" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">German</a>.</p> <p style="margin-left:0cm; margin-right:0cm"> </p> </div> </div><div class="text-GT"> <h3>Parliamentary initiative: Prohibition of heavy-burden animal experiments </h3> <div class="GT M-GT"><p>Ahead of the discussion of Maya Graf’s parliamentary initiative 18.491 “Prohibition of experiments imposing severe burdens on animals” in the Science, Education and Culture Committees of the National Council (SECC-N), argumentation was drawn up by the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences, swissuniversities and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF).</p> <p> </p> <p>The advisory committee’s decision is available in <a href="https://www.parlament.ch/press-releases/Pages/mm-wbk-n-2019-05-24.aspx?lang=1036" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">French</a> or <a href="https://www.parlament.ch/press-releases/Pages/mm-wbk-n-2019-05-24.aspx?lang=1031" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">German</a>.</p> <p> </p> <p style="margin-left:0cm; margin-right:0cm">Argumentation regarding the parliamentary initiative 18.491 (2019) is available in <a href="/dam/jcr:316ae25e-1865-49fe-a026-8a72a73fde8b/argumentaire_academies_suisses_assm_swu_fns_initiative_graf_2019.pdf">French</a> or <a href="/dam/jcr:eed80080-17f5-4aa9-a3ce-544fc1d66201/argumentarium_akademien_schweiz_samw_swu_snf_initiative_graf_2019.pdf">German</a>.</p> <p style="margin-left:0cm; margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p> </p> </div> </div><div class="text-GT"> <h2>Events</h2> </div><div class="text-GT"> <h3>Licensing procedures for animal experiments</h3> <div class="GT M-GT"><p>In autumn 2021, the ECAE organised a national Round Table, bringing together experts from the fields of research, animal welfare and ethics, as well as representatives of cantonal and federal authorities. Current licensing procedures for animal experiments were discussed from various perspectives, the need for measures to improve the situation was identified, and concrete proposals were considered. Key findings from the meeting are summarised in an article published in the SAMS Bulletin 1/2022 (p. 6, available in <a href="/dam/jcr:4da5f7cc-e09e-4988-8e72-9b5917967f40/bulletin_assm_2022_1.pdf">French</a> or <a href="/dam/jcr:a5aab991-fc23-4874-b5f6-f3de68aa6993/bulletin_samw_2022_1.pdf">German</a>).</p> <p style="margin-left:0cm; margin-right:0cm"> </p> </div> </div><div class="text-GT"> <h3>Monkey, Mouse or Zebrafish? Considerations in choosing model organisms»</h3> <div class="GT M-GT"><p style="margin-left:0cm; margin-right:0cm">On what considerations do researchers base their choice of model organisms for their studies? How do they deal with the implicit moral hierarchy among animals, with primates at the top and fish at the bottom? Scientific and ethical questions concerning the choice of model organisms were discussed at a symposium held on 1 July 2021. The aim was to raise awareness of these issues among researchers, animal welfare officers and licensing authorities. In order to address questions as concretely as possible, the topic of the symposium was discussed with reference to a specific research field – Alzheimer’s disease. The results are summarised in the symposium report.</p> <p style="margin-left:0cm; margin-right:0cm"> </p> </div> </div> <div class="download-GT"> <ul class="GT-link M-GT-link"> <li> <a class="downloadLink" href="/dam/jcr:334535b0-c2e5-42e0-b345-53a5aa62eed2/report_sams_animal_models_2021.pdf"> Symposium report: Monkey, Mouse or Zebrafish? (2021) <span class="extension">PDF, 113 KB </span> </a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="text-GT"> <h2>Related topics</h2> <div class="GT M-GT"><p><a href="/en/Portrait/Commissions/Ethics-Committee-for-Animal-Experimentation.html">Ethics Committee for Animal Experimentation (ECAE)</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.swissuniversities.ch/fr/organisation/organes/chambre-des-hautes-ecoles-universitaires/organes/swiss-transparency-agreement-on-animal-research-staar" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">STAAR</a></p> <p><a href="/en/Ethics/Topics-A-to-Z/Research-ethics.html">Research involving human beings</a></p> <p><a href="/en/Projects/Overview-of-projects/Coordination-Platform-CR.html">Coordination Platform for Clinical Research (CPCR)</a></p> <p><a href="/en/Projects/Overview-of-projects/White-Paper-Clinical-Research.html">White Paper Clinical Research</a></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="kontakte-m"> <h4>CONTACT</h4> <p class="GT M-GT"> lic. phil. Valérie Clerc <br>Secretary General <br>Tel. +41 31 306 92 71 <br><a href="javascript:dcmt('155083136145138151136101152134146156083136141');"><script type="text/javascript"> // <![CDATA[ document.write(dcmadr("155083136145138151136101152134146156083136141")); // ]]> </script></a> </p> </div> <div class="logo-aux-m"> <a href="http://www.akademien-schweiz.ch/en/current/news" target="_blank"> <img src="/.resources/samw/webresources/svg/i_logo_header_desktop_a_en.svg"/> </a> </div> <div id="cookie"> <div class="flex-item"> <span><p>We use cookies. 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