International animal testing pact signed

The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, together with its counterparts in the US, Canada and Japan, have signed a new agreement aimed at reducing the number of animal experiments undertaken in labs worldwide.
The co-operation document signed on Monday (April 27) should give new impetus to the availability of scientifically proven alternatives to animal testing methods. In the EU, some 12 million animals are used in experiments each year for safety testing and biomedical research.

“Reducing animal testing, both out of concern for animal welfare and ethical issues, and protecting consumer safety are two major objectives of this international agreement,” stated European Commissioner for Science and Research, Janez Potocnik.
The agreement establishes enhanced international cooperation and coordination on the scientific validation and evaluation of in-vitro toxicity testing methods. Strengthened collaboration among the signatories will ensure that alternative methods are reproducible, based on sound science and able to accurately identify health hazards, the Commission believes.