Breeding, keeping and transportation of laboratory animals

4. Transport as short and stress-free as possible

In view of the strict requirements that apply throughout Europe, there is an ongoing process of consolidation under which breeding facilities are becoming bigger. Since there are no longer any such facilities in Switzerland, the animals used in the country come primarily from France, Germany, Denmark and, to a lesser extent, Italy. More rarely, laboratory animals are imported from the USA and Asia. However, the shorter distances the animals have to travel and the associated smaller risk of delays and other incidents make Europe preferable. To avoid the animals becoming stressed and exhausted, it is important to ensure that they are exposed to as little stress and have to travel as short a distance as possible. In most cases, the animals are therefore transported by road in climate controlled vehicles. This is more tolerable for the animals than flying. When animals do have to travel between continents(from overseas), they always do so by air, by direct flight with no stopovers wherever possible.