Swiss to vote on becoming first country to ban animal testing

A mouse is seen in a plastic box at the Laboratory Animal Services Center (LASC) of the University of Zurich in Schlieren, Switzerland, February 7, 2022. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann

ZURICH (Reuters) - Switzerland votes on Sunday whether to become the first country to completely ban medical testing on animals, after animal rights campaigners gathered enough support to stage a referendum in the country, which hosts a huge pharmaceuticals sector.

More than 550,000 animals died in laboratory tests in 2020 in Switzerland, according to government statistics. The figure includes 400,000 mice and rats, nearly 4,600 dogs, 1,500 cats and 1,600 horses. Primates, cows, pigs, fish and birds were also killed during and after experiments