Switzerland rejects ban on full animal testing

On the 13^th of February, Switzerland had a vote to decide if full animal testing should be banned or not. This includes animal testing for both scientific and medical research.

If voted for, the ban would include:

·       a ban on the importation of products created through animal testing,

· a ban on human experiments, and 

· A certainty that non-animal testing will receive a level of support from the state that is almost the same as the support provided for animal experiments’ research.

During the voting process, 21% of the participants voted in favour while 79% voted against. Otherwise, Switzerland would have become the first country to fully ban animal testing. In 2017, Switzerland banned cosmetics that contain ingredients tested on animals.

However, Julia Baines from PETA UK said the rejection of the full ban does not equal approval of animal testing as this is collectively aimed at human clinical trials as well as the manufacturing, export and import of products tested on animals.