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Sat, May 26 2012
New EU rules on animal experimentation proposed
Photo: NathanF
Animal experimentation in the European Union would have to operate according to changed rules should a directive agreed on by the European Council on May 11 2010 be approved.
The European Council said that its draft directive on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes was "aimed at strengthening the protection of animals while allowing research to continue playing a key role in the fight against diseases".
Under the new provisions, EU member states will be required to ensure that experiments with animals are replaced, "wherever possible", by an alternative method which is scientifically satisfactory.
The directive says that the number of animals used in projects should be "reduced to a minimum without compromising the quality of results", and that "the degree of pain and suffering caused to animals is limited to the minimum".
In a media statement, the European Council said that the use of non-human primates for scientific purposes will be subject to tight restrictions.
Experiments with great apes such as chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans will be prohibited, but an EU member state may however allow "exceptionally" the use of great apes if it has "justifiable reasons for believing that it is essential for the survival of the species itself or because of an unexpected outbreak of a life-threatening or debilitating disease in human beings".
As a general rule, animals taken from the wild will not be allowed to be used in experiments, with some exceptions.
Non-human primates may only be used if they are the offspring of animals which have been bred in captivity or if they are sourced from selfsustaining colonies.
Experiments using animals will require a prior evaluation and authorisation.
Member states will also have to ensure that all breeders, suppliers and users are authorised and registered with the relevant authority.
The new directive, which will replace a 1986 directive, will cover vertebrate animals, including feeding larval forms and foetal forms of mammals as from the last third of their normal development, and cephalopods (for instance squids).
"Approval of the draft directive is a step towards the ultimate goal of achieving the full replacement of experiments on live animals as soon at it is scientifically possible to do so," the European Council said.
"According to experts, current scientific knowledge does not allow a complete phase-out of animal experimentation," the statement said.
About 12 million animals are used each year in scientific experiments in the EU.
The European Council said that its decision completes a partial agreement reached by the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on December 14 to 16 2009 and reflected what the statement called a "provisional agreement reached in an informal trialogue on April 7 2010 with the European Parliament".
The decision will be formally adopted at a forthcoming Council meeting, after finalisation of the text, and forwarded to the European Parliament for its second reading.
In February 2010, there was controversy when animal rights groups alleged that a European Commission task force on non-primate research lacked relevant expertise, website Euractiv said.
The European Council said that its draft directive on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes was "aimed at strengthening the protection of animals while allowing research to continue playing a key role in the fight against diseases".
Under the new provisions, EU member states will be required to ensure that experiments with animals are replaced, "wherever possible", by an alternative method which is scientifically satisfactory.
The directive says that the number of animals used in projects should be "reduced to a minimum without compromising the quality of results", and that "the degree of pain and suffering caused to animals is limited to the minimum".
In a media statement, the European Council said that the use of non-human primates for scientific purposes will be subject to tight restrictions.
Experiments with great apes such as chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans will be prohibited, but an EU member state may however allow "exceptionally" the use of great apes if it has "justifiable reasons for believing that it is essential for the survival of the species itself or because of an unexpected outbreak of a life-threatening or debilitating disease in human beings".
As a general rule, animals taken from the wild will not be allowed to be used in experiments, with some exceptions.
Non-human primates may only be used if they are the offspring of animals which have been bred in captivity or if they are sourced from selfsustaining colonies.
Experiments using animals will require a prior evaluation and authorisation.
Member states will also have to ensure that all breeders, suppliers and users are authorised and registered with the relevant authority.
The new directive, which will replace a 1986 directive, will cover vertebrate animals, including feeding larval forms and foetal forms of mammals as from the last third of their normal development, and cephalopods (for instance squids).
"Approval of the draft directive is a step towards the ultimate goal of achieving the full replacement of experiments on live animals as soon at it is scientifically possible to do so," the European Council said.
"According to experts, current scientific knowledge does not allow a complete phase-out of animal experimentation," the statement said.
About 12 million animals are used each year in scientific experiments in the EU.
The European Council said that its decision completes a partial agreement reached by the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on December 14 to 16 2009 and reflected what the statement called a "provisional agreement reached in an informal trialogue on April 7 2010 with the European Parliament".
The decision will be formally adopted at a forthcoming Council meeting, after finalisation of the text, and forwarded to the European Parliament for its second reading.
In February 2010, there was controversy when animal rights groups alleged that a European Commission task force on non-primate research lacked relevant expertise, website Euractiv said.
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