Severity degree 3 experiments

3. Strict legislation protects the dignity of animals

Switzerland has one of the strictest animal welfare laws worldwide. Animal experiments may only be conducted if there are no recognized alternatives. Moreover, in the mandatory ethical trade-off between the benefits to be expected from the research and the constraint on the animals, the scales must tip in favour of the benefits; otherwise, an experiment may not be carried out. The well-being and the dignity of the animal are thus protected by the law. Most questions can be answered with experiments involving mice or rats. In 2019, these species accounted for about 80% of all laboratory animals in Switzerland (see chart on the next page). Sheep, pigs, poultry, fish, dogs or non-human primates are used for a small proportion of experiments depending on the question concerned. Studies with non-human primates are only approved if the findings cannot be obtained using alternative methods without animals or in experiments with other animal species.