In the news
11 Mar 2010
22 October 2009
65,000 cyber-marchers reach European Parliament as animal experiments directive is debated
Cross-party MEPs from the European Parliament’s Intergroup on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals1 were presented this week with pledges from more than 65,000 people from our Make Animal Testing History virtual march2, calling for the replacement of animal research to be accelerated through the revision of EU Directive 86/609 on animal experiments3.
Representatives from the Dr Hadwen Trust, Four Paws and the Humane Society International travelled to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, where Intergroup MEPs, as well as those working most closely on negotiations with the European Commission and Council, met to discuss the Directive. Intergroup President and Green MEP Dr Caroline Lucas welcomed the virtual march as a “unique way of expressing the public’s clear compassionate wish to see Europe take the lead in modern, humane medical research without animal suffering.”
So far over 65,000 people have pledged their support for the revised Directive to give animals greater protection by restricting the severity of experiments and requiring independent ethical and scientific review before experiments are licensed. They also want to see far greater action on the ultimate goal of replacing animals with alternative methods. In particular they support proposals for an EU Centre of Excellence in Alternatives to develop non-animal research methods in the biosciences and toxicology and co-ordinate an EU-wide strategy on replacement.
Presenting our Make Animal Testing History virtual march to MEPs has given a huge boost to our efforts to revise the EU’s animal research law. With industry lobbying hard against many of the progressive measures, it has been vitally important to demonstrate how much public concern exists.
“More than 12 million animals are used in EU experiments each year.” says Dr Lucas, “Yet experiments on animals can be unreliable as a guide to human biology and the range of viable alternatives, such as epidemiology, the use of cell cultures, human tissue and computer simulation, is increasing all the time. The European Commission has already stated that one of its ultimate aims is ‘to replace animal experiments with methods not entailing the use of an animal4’. The Make Animal Testing History virtual march sends a clear message to all EU politicians that this is also what EU citizens wish to see.”
Please keep on marching …
We’ve come a long way with more than 65,000 people now marching together in cyber-space but we’ve not crossed the finish line quite yet. First Reading in the European Parliament was completed in May this year. Next, Member State experts in the Council of Ministers have been discussing the proposals. We are hoping that negotiations between the Council and the Parliament will lead to agreement being reached before the end of the year. But at this stage it’s by no means certain and it’s still possible that the proposals may be sent back to the Parliament for MEPs to debate again in 2010. We will know more in the next few weeks so in the meantime please keep marching and we’ll alert you with an update very soon. Join the virtual march here.
Notes:
1 The Parliamentary Intergroup on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals is the one of the first-established and longest running Intergroups. Its President is Green MEP Dr Caroline Lucas. www.animalwelfareintergroup.eu
2 View the Make Animal Testing History virtual march at www.makeanimaltestinghistory.org/the-march.php.
3 Proposals to revise Directive 86/609/EEC were published by the European Commission in November 2008 – the Commission’s proposals can be read here.
4 Working Document on a Community Action Plan on the Protection and Welfare of Animals (2006-2010).
