People – «Respectful, Reflective, Romontsch!»
Presenting the members of our steering committee: Dr Otto Maissen, a veterinarian from the Animal Experimentation and Evaluations Division at the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO), Bern, Switzerland
1. Describe yourself in 3 words beginning with R.
Respectful, Reflective, Romansh-speaking!
2. What motivated you to take on the role as representative of the Federal Administration in NRP 79?
I like that young people are keen to take fresh and novel approaches to further advance the 3R principles in their projects. This inspires and supports our work. In the legislative process and in the drafting of guidelines, the Federal Administration needs to be able to draw on knowledge and insights that are backed up by science. NRP 79 is therefore really important. The ideas to advance 3R must be actionable and have an impact.
3. How can the Swiss Animal Welfare Act help further minimise the use of animal experiments in research without compromising the quality and reliability of scientific findings?
First of all, researchers need to document the suitability and necessity of an experiment, in line with the 3Vs (principles of the validity of experiments) and the 3Rs. These principles form the basis to ensure that animal experiments meet the requirements on indispensable extent and scientific quality. Finally, a balancing of interests is carried out to decide whether the experiment is permissible.
Subject areas and areas of interest
- legal framework
- Gentle treatment of animals
- Information obligations regarding animal testing
- 3Vs and 3Rs