40,000 signatures against animal testing in Switzerland

In 2022, the number of animals used in experiments rose by 2% to almost 586,000. © KEYSTONE / GAETAN BALLY

Switzerland should do away with “restrictive” animal testing. On Monday, five organisations submitted a petition in Bern with over 40,000 signatures in favour of "pain-free animal" scientific research.

According to a press release, Switzerland should become a model for innovative, effective, and pain-free scientific research. The animal protection organisations, Animalfree Research, la Ligue suisse contre la vivisection, Associazione svizzera per l’abolizione della vivisezione, Tier im Recht and Tierschutz Zurich took part in the event on the terrace of the federal parliament building.

In a symbolic gesture, the organisations “freed” animal-shaped balloons from a laboratory cage. “These 40,550 signatures are a strong message”, the press release continued. As surveys show, a majority of people want research to be carried out without severe constraints on animals.

But the reality is quite different, deplore the organisations. At present, a large proportion of animal experiments are authorised without further consideration and are overwhelmingly funded by taxpayers. Every year, hundreds of thousands of mice and other laboratory animals die in experiments.

According to the organisations, the situation is in a stalemate now, not least because it is difficult to reproduce the results of animal experiments on humans. The organisations are calling for a realistic action plan to move away from restrictive animal experimentation in stages.

Green Party parliamentarian Maya Graf shares the aims of the petition. She intends to take action along these lines in parliament. “A binding action plan will make it possible to supplement animal protection legislation and the current 3Rs strategy” (Replace, Reduce and Reform, which provides for the constraints imposed on animals to be kept to a minimum), she said, quoting from the press release.

+ Swiss voters reject ban on animal testing

In 2022, the number of animals used in experiments rose by 2% to almost 586,000. The number of animals used in experiments that cause significant pain was also up, by 5%, particularly for research into cancer and neurocognitive diseases.

Since 1985, the Swiss people have rejected four popular initiatives aimed at banning animal experimentation to varying degrees, the most recent in 2022 by more than 80%. Last year, opponents relaunched a campaign to gather signatures for a new initiative.

Adapted from French by DeepL/dkk/mga

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