EUROPE: New legislation limits animal testing

The European Parliament has approved new legislation to limit the number of animals used in scientific studies within the European Union, in an effort to improve animal welfare without hindering important scientific research.

Animals have long been used to conduct scientific research into a range of human, animal and plant diseases, as well as treatment trials and pharmaceutical testing.

However, concern over animal welfare led the European Commission to draft a strict law limiting its use. The final document is a compromise between the commission's initial policy and the parliament's more pragmatic view.

The legislation will come into force in two years, and will require national authorities in all EU member states to assess and approve the animal welfare implications of individual experiments, with aims of reduced pain levels and wider adoption of alternative testing methods.

Nationally run inspections will have to inspect at least 33% of animal-using laboratories within a year, according to a communiqué.

The legislation also stipulates that where an EU-recognised alternative testing method exists, it should always be used instead of the traditional animal test. Approved animal tests must employ the most humane killing methods.

Alert to continued concern over the use of primates such as chimpanzees, gorillas and other apes, the legislation 'broadly bans' the use of these animals in scientific testing, according to the European parliament.

However, MEPs have allowed limited use of smaller primates such as marmosets and macaques because researchers believe a ban could significantly hamper progress in fighting neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. All primate tests would have to prove with scientific evidence that the research could not be done without using these species.

Furthermore, the use of animals in scientific experiments is only allowed for basic research and for research into human, animal or plant diseases, drug testing and species preservation, as well as for higher education and forensic investigations, according to the communiqué.