Legislation on Animal Welfare in Sweden and Europe
Sweden has some of the most stringent animal welfare laws in Europe .
Since Sweden is a member of EU, we must also comply with the animal experiment regulations in the Council of the Europe Convention and in EC directives.According to current Swedish and European animal welfare legislation, animals may be used in research only if the research purpose cannot be achieved by other methods. Laboratory animals may not be subjected to unnecessary suffering. An experiment can be acceptable if the suffering of a few animals could reduce the suffering of a large number of animals and humans.
In Sweden, an ethics committee must give approval in advance of any research involving animals. This has been mandatory in Sweden since 1979.
In November 2008, the European Commission presented a new proposal for an EU directive on animal research. The proposal must be addressed by the Member States, the Parliament, and the Council of Europe before a decision can be rendered. The process usually takes between two and four years before a law can become effective.
Text: Cecila Johansson
Regulations
