Experimental animals

Animal testing means using an experimental animal on a permitted scientific purpose, as following:

1) Preventing, diagnosing or medical treatment of human, animal or plant diseases;
2) Developing medicines, food commodities, other substances and products and controlling their safety;
3) Identifying, assessing, regulating or changing physiological conditions of human, animal or plant;
4) Protecting nature for the sake of human or animal welfare or health;
5) Education and training, except in basic education and teaching basic subjects;
6) Judicial investigation.

It is prohibited to perform animal testing on the purpose of improving arms or ammunition or on the purpose of developing tobacco products and some cosmetic products. Animal testing may hurt, injure or cause the death of experimental animal.

There are three fields of establishments dealing with experimental animals:
1) Establishments for breeding experimental animals;
2) Establishments for supplying with experimental animals;
3) Establishments that use experimental animals.

All the noted establishments are approved and supervised by Agriculture and Food Board. Requirements for noted establishments and the approving procedure is presented in Regulation of Government No 181 of 30 April 2004 „Requirements for breeding and supplying of experimental animals and the procedure of approval of the noted establishments and requirements for them“.

In order to acquire an approval the representative of the establishment has to apply to the local office of Agriculture and Food Board and fill out the respective application form.

The establishment that is using experimental animals is also required to have a permission to perform animal testing which is being issued by a special committee, established by the Ministry of Agriculture according to Regulation of Government No 187 of 1 July 2003 „Procedure for establishing a committee to issue permissions for animal testing, its tasks and working procedure and application forms for performing animal testing and the protocol of animal testing“.

If experiments are to be carried out with a genetically modified animal, the risk analysis of animal testing is required to be compiled. The requirements for this risk analysis have been presented in Regulation of the Government No 377 of 10 December 2002 „The requirements for compiling risk analysis for animal testing with genetically modified animals and the data required in risk analysis

Last updated: 15.12.2020