Who authorizes animal experiments?
Before an animal experiment can be conducted in Germany, it must be approved by the competent authority. For the FLI, the responsible body is the Thuringian State Office for Consumer Protection (TLV), a higher authority of the State of Thuringia.
The application approval process begins when the scientist fills out an animal experiment application. This application must explain comprehensively and in detail why the animal experiment is indispensable to answer a specific scientific question and why animals must be used for this purpose. This means that the scientist must always first determine whether another method could be used instead of an animal experiment to answer the question. In addition, applicants must show that they have extensively researched whether or not the question has already been investigated elsewhere in the world. Furthermore, it is required that the animal experiment takes place under consideration of the 3R principle (see above).
In the next step, the animal experiment application is reviewed by the animal welfare officer of the FLI according to the aspects mentioned above. This person advises the applicant and makes suggestions with regard to the implementation of animal welfare measures.
Together with the animal experiment application, the animal welfare officer then sends his or her independent assessment of the planned animal experiment to the competent authority. The authority examines the application and is supported in an advisory capacity by an animal protection commission (the so-called §15 commission). This commission is made up of experts such as scientists, ethicists, statisticians and non-scientific representatives of animal protection organizations, who also evaluate the application according to the above-mentioned criteria. Only if an application fulfills all criteria relevant to animal protection law will it be approved.
Once an application has been approved, the animal experiment may be carried out. Further controls take place during the conducting of the animal experiment and with regard to its documentation – internally by the animal welfare officer and externally by the veterinary authority.
The official veterinary controls are partly unannounced on-site inspections. In addition, interim and final reports are requested from the scientists, documenting data and facts about the course of the animal experiment. If deviations are found during the inspections by animal welfare officers or the veterinary office, the animal experiment can be stopped immediately.
