In Finland animal experiments are regulated by the Act and Decree on the Use of Animals for Experimental Purposes (62/2006 and 36/2006). Animal experiments may only be performed by persons with the relevant qualifications or if the experiment is directly supervised by a person with such qualifications. The qualifications may be obtained by a person who has taken an appropriate academic degree as well as passed a course on animal experiments. Further provisions on the course are issued in the Decree on the Use of Animals for Experimental Purposes.
Animal experiments may be performed only if there is no other feasible and reliable scientific method which does not involve the use of animals for obtaining the targeted outcome. Whenever possible, methods without animals should also be used to partly substitute for animal experiments and the method selected should be such that the total number of animals used and the adverse impacts on the animals are minimised.
Authorisations for animal experiments are granted by the Animal Experiment Board appointed by the Government, which assesses each application concerning an animal experiment authorisation. Animal experiments may be performed only for necessary and important reasons and the expected benefit must be acceptable relative to the harm inflicted on the animals. Animal experiment establishments and performance of experiments is supervised by the Regional State Administrative Agency. Animal experiment establishments must have appropriate premises, facilities and equipment as well as staff with sufficient professional skills. Animal experiment establishments and persons performing the experiments must keep detailed records on the animals and their use and submit this information to the Regional State Administrative Agency.
Related links:
Act on the Use of Animals for Experimental Purposes
Decree on the Use of Animals for Experimental Purposes
Decree on the Implementation of the European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals used for Experimental and other Scientific Purposes
Directive 86/609/EEC on the use of animals for experimental purposes is being revised
Numbers of animals used in experiments
Grants for alternative research methods