Towards revising the animal testing legislation

EP Intergroup on Animal Welfare
Brussels, 17 June 2008

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr President,

Thank you for the opportunity to come back to the EP Intergroup on animal welfare. It has been a while since our last meeting but issues related to the protection and welfare of animals have remained high on my agenda.

Today I would like to give you an update on the awaited revision of the Directive on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes. The protection and welfare of these animals is an important matter for us all. It is clear that we need a comprehensive revision of Directive 86/609EEC which is by now out of date since it was adopted more than 20 years ago.

As you know, the preparatory revision process has been extensive. It was needed to ensure that all available scientific and technical information and the latest knowledge on animal welfare be taken into account, and in order to assess all options. Numerous stakeholders, including the scientific community, industry, national authorities and animal welfare organisations, have made significant and welcome contributions to this process.

The past few months have seen intensive cooperation between various Commission services to establish an optimal balance between different objectives. This has been fruitful and we have now reached the very last stage since the proposal is being finalised.

There are a number of objectives that I would like to see achieved by this proposal, starting from the assumption that it is our duty and responsibility to respect the welfare of all animals, while guaranteeing the health and well-being of all Europeans, as reflected in the animal welfare protocol of the EU Treaty.

A methodical review of all projects using animals would significantly improve the welfare of animals that are still needed for scientific purposes. This means changing approaches and attitudes towards animal testing: ethical considerations and animal welfare must become an integral part of the running of establishments that use animals. This should be duly reflected in the forthcoming Commission proposal.

Furthermore, the objective is also to ensure that the Three Rs principle – Replacement, Reduction and Refinement – is rigorously applied throughout all animal breeding, housing and use for scientific purposes. The revision will therefore consider significantly stricter standards, including the systematic authorisation and ethical evaluation of all projects using animals, minimum requirements for housing and care of animals and frequent inspections of establishments. None of these elements exists in the present Directive.

The current Directive contains very few binding measures on authorisation, housing and care requirements, and this lacuna has been misinterpreted as a lack of enforcement. Far more stringent measures are often found in national legislation, and this inconsistency has been one of the driving forces behind the revision. We need to ensure harmonised practices throughout the EU – not just to safeguard the welfare of animals as required by the Treaty, but also to ensure the good functioning of the internal market.

The proposal is intended to improve enforcement and fill those gaps. Together with inspections, increased transparency will help enforce compliance. The public should be informed about how animals are used in scientific procedures. Such information must be meaningful and easily available. This can only be achieved if the increase in administrative work is acceptable to Member States. The proposal aims to strike a balance between the need for transparency and the burden associated with providing it.

The concerns surrounding the use of non-human primates, and great apes in particular, have been thoroughly considered and need to be addressed adequately in the proposal, consolidating the situation prevailing today in the EU. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continuous support in this important matter.

Let me add however that given the current state of scientific knowledge, the use of a limited number of other species of non-human primates is still unavoidable for a number of vital research programmes. This is especially true of research on severe global diseases. It would therefore be premature to set a timetable with fixed deadlines to phase out all use of non-human primates. I am convinced that better results can be achieved with the long-term commitment and engagement of all involved. We have to work together on an agreed strategy to develop alternatives, and I therefore call on you to play an active role in identifying the actions needed to turn this vision into a reality.

While some animal research is currently unavoidable, the Commission is working hard to replace animal testing with alternative methods wherever possible, and this is recognised as a clear priority.

My colleagues Commissioners Potocnik and Verheugen recently joined me in reaffirming this commitment to the EP in the context of discussions about the REACH test method proposal. Work must speed up on all fronts. New methodologies need to be developed, and validation and regulatory acceptance must be improved.

Regarding validation, the role of ECVAM, the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative methods, needs to strengthened further. This will involve reinforcing ECVAM's work with added support from other teams at the Joint Research Centre. The proposed revision of the Directive 86/609/EEC will channel fresh resources to this important activity.

Finally, since the 1980s, millions of euros have been channeled through Community Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development and the Joint Research Centre into work on validating alternative methods to replace, reduce and refine the use of animals in experiments. The Commission is convinced that the combination of all of these efforts will lead to an increase in validated, recognised and acceptable testing methods throughout the world.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In conclusion, I am doing my utmost to have this proposal adopted in a very near future. I look forward to working closely with you on the revision of this important piece of legislation. Together I am convinced that we will keep the EU in the forefront of the protection and welfare of animals.