Animal Experimentation in Research (2012)

Advances in biological and medical research are largely based on work involving animal experimentation. Whilst the development of alternative methods is gathering pace, current research is nonetheless inconceivable without using methods that involve animal experimentation. The social and political debate and the balancing of legal interests – such as freedom of research, the State’s duty of care towards its citizens and animal protection – have resulted in Germany having one of the world’s strictest bodies of animal protection law. As part of the pan-European harmonisation process, it has become necessary to reform this legislation in a comprehensive manner. The core tasks of the Academy’s Statements are to ascertain the pros and cons of difficult issues, to frame their scientific basis, and to present science-based recommendations for addressing the issue at hand. In the present Statement, the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the Union of the German Academies of Sciences and Humanities engage in a much-debated issue of extraordinary social relevance. The present Statement not only describes the ethical bases and the legal framework for animal experimentation research, but also focuses on the broader field of biological and medical research from various perspectives. Further, the practice of animal experimentation and its current state of development within research is examined, and a sensible and constructive transposition of EU law into German law is considered.