European Union Proposes Animal Testing Loophole

Published November 23, 2009 @ 03:25AM PT

The European Union Parliament plans to downgrade animal welfare in their latest update to a decades-old directive. The version that's in place demands that alternatives to animal testing are used whenever there are "reasonably and practically available" options. The new proposals allow researchers to continue using animal methods until alternatives are "recognised by Community legislation." That bureaucratic technicality can take years. The new animal testing directive would also let procedures like basic medical research completely slip under the radar.

It's particularly disappointing that the EU, which can be so progressive on issues like chemicals policy, would regress on its animal testing stance. It's especially surprising since the EU ban on animal testing in cosmetics went into effect earlier this year. In reverting back to old research methods, the proposed revisions fail to promote humane ethics and scientific innovation. Why are they abandoning common sense?

For the same reason that they voted against scaling back primate experiments six months ago. It's the usual suspect: industry lobbyists. One politician actually resigned earlier this year due to "excessive industry interference" on these laws.

I noticed that The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) applauds this proposal on their website, despite the UK's leading organization against animal medical research, the Dr. Hadwen Trust, coming out against it. Have they not read the fine print?

The European Union member states are voting any day now. Join the Virtual March to call for stronger protections in the animal testing directive.

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Comments (1)

I think the fact that we still test on great apes is a travesty. It's like testing on the retarded.

Posted by Kristen Ridley on 11/24/2009 @ 11:09AM PT
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Author

Stephanie Feldstein works for a non-profit environmental organization and runs an in-home training and behavior consultation business, specializing in behavior issues common to rescued dogs. She also volunteers for Pit Bull Rescue Central and several other animal welfare groups. In her spare time, Stephanie writes novels that explore the human-animal bond.