Switzerland, where I live, is said to have some of the strictest animal protection laws in the world. For example, for social species like guinea pigs, rabbits and parakeets, Swiss law requires that they be kept in pairs, at least.
According to Swiss law, animal testing is allowed only if there are no alternatives. Therefore, in order for me to experiment with animals, I need to ensure that I follow the 3R principle: replacement via alternative methods, reduction of the number of animals used, and refinement to make methods more humane. Nevertheless, as many as 500,000 animals, mostly rats, are still used for experiments in Switzerland, and a vote to ban animal and human experimentation is expected to be held next year in 2022.
But of course, we researchers are not doing animal experiments to harm animals. Animal testing is very useful when developing and using new raw materials for which there is no existing safety data. We need to collect new safety data before we sell our products, which is why we conduct animal testing. It is painful for me, too, to use animals as tools for experimentation, but they give us a lot of discoveries when we create something new.
I know there are now many alternatives to animal testing. However, it is also true that animal testing is a practice that has been around for many years in many industries, and cannot be easily abolished. In addition, the development of alternative methods that do not use animals has not been a priority until now, and although progress has been made steadily, we have not yet reached the stage where all alternative methods can be used.
I want to protect animals, but I still need to experiment on them to make my products…
How well are Swiss animals protected? (2020, February 6). SWI Swissinfo.Ch. https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/animal-welfare_how-well-are-swiss-animals-protected-/45489148
Farlymn, M. (2019, April 2). 化粧品の動物実験について. Humane Society International. https://www.hsi.org/news-media/about_cosmetics_animal_testing_japanese/
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