Licences for laboratory animals

You also need a licence if you only supply laboratory animals that you did not breed yourself, or if you house laboratory animals on someone else´s behalf.

Licence for using laboratory animals

• You need a licence from the Board of Agriculture in order to be allowed to use laboratory animals.
• The Board of Agriculture must approve the establishment (facility and premises) where the animals are kept.
• An ethical committee must approve each experiment.

The Board of Agriculture considers several aspects when we decide whether to grant permission or not.

Your organisation must be suitable for conducting animal experiments

The animals must be bred for laboratory use

In some cases, ordinary cats and dogs that are kept at home may be used for experiments, even though they are not bred for this purpose. For instance, this may be the case when testing a new animal drug or studying if a disease is present in a certain breed. If you want to conduct such an experiment you need to apply to the Board of Agriculture for an exemption. Please use the form Exception to the rules on destined breeding, which you will find in the right-hand column.

A veterinarian and an approved supervisor are required

The veterinarian should preferably be placed at the facility where the experiments are carried out or at least live or work close enough that he or she can visit every day. The veterinarian must be licenced to practice in Sweden.

All activities involving laboratory animals also require a supervisor. The supervisor must be approved by the Board of Agriculture. 
 
More information about veterinarians and approved supervisors.

Everyone involved

must have sufficient knowledge

If you do not have such skills yet, you must work under the supervision of somebody who does.

The knowledge requirement applies to anyone who takes care of ,or uses laboratory animals, as well as anyone who takes part in experiments for which someone else is responsible. The requirements are less extensive if you

• use animals in field experiments that do not involve surgery, injections or suffering
• only use invertebrate animals.

Approved facility

If the experiments are to be carried out at a farm or other holding in agricultural use, for instance on dairy cows in an ordinary stable, there is no need to apply for approval.

New facilities must be approved and inspected in advance

When applying for approval, you need to enclose detailed plans of the new facility. You must also state what animals you want to keep at the facility as well as what kinds of activity you intend to carry out. Then, the Board of Agriculture determines if the facility is suitable from the point of view of animal welfare. Above all, we want to see that the animals' environment permits them to behave naturally. We also make sure that there is proper ventilation, that the lighting does not disturb the animals and that the facility is not too noisy.

When the facility is completed, the Board of Agriculture inspects it. After the inspection, you will receive a letter that says whether or not we have approved the facility, or if there is anything else you need to do pending approval. The approval is valid for ten years.

Special rules apply if you use genetically modified animals

You must apply to the Board of Agriculture for permission to use the facility. The information that must be included in the application is listed in the Swedish regulations on genetically modified animals in the right-hand column. You should also add the phrase "I hereby notify that I intend to keep genetically modified animals at the facility" to your application.

It is a good idea to apply for permission to use the facility for GM animals at the same time as you apply to have the facility approved for the keeping of laboratory animals.

If activities are to change or end, you need to notify the Board of Agriculture before the change is implemented.

An ethical committee must approve the experiments

Here, you can find more information about ethical evaluation.

Licence to breed laboratory animals

• Breeding is to take placeat an approved establishment.
• An approved supervisor and a veterinarian must be at hand.
• There must be a need for the laboratory animals you intend to breed.

Please use the form in the right-hand column when applying for a licence to breed laboratory animals.

Sometimes you need a licence to breed laboratory animals even if they belong to species that need not be destined for laboratory use, such as pigs or bovine animals. This applies to cases where most of the animals you breed are intended for laboratory use. If, on the other hand, you breed for instance pigs for slaughter, you can sell a few animals for laboratory use without needing a licence to breed laboratory animals.

You need a licence for other activities as well

If you are keeping laboratory animals without using, breeding or supplying them, you need a licence for the act of keeping such animals. This may be the case if you take care of laboratory animals on behalf of someone else before or in between experiments. Please contact us for more information about this. 

Fees