[Ethical evaluation of veterinary research].

From the point of view of ethics, experimental studies occupy a particular position in veterinary research, as the animals benefit directly by the results. An ethical evaluation of this form of research would therefore seem te be less difficult than that of other experimental studies, which frequently are the object of much criticism. The present paper contains a number of critical notes on this matter. The first part consists of a systematic analysis of the basic moral positions, from which the moral admissibility of veterinary actions in general may be assessed. These may be differentiated into two categories, anthropocentric ethics in which human interests prevail and biocentric ethics in which efforts are made to weigh the interests of man and animals more equitably. Starting from the intrinsic value of animals, the authors grant particular rights to (experimental) animals in the second part. This starting-point is decisive in evaluating the moral admissibility of veterinary procedures. The 'moral right principle' is compared with the well-known utilitarianism and 'the worst-off principle'. When the moral status of the animal is determined and the standards of evaluation are fixed, is will be possible in principle to assess the ethical permissibility of veterinary experiments and other veterinary actions. The authors explain and justify their personal choice.