This isn't the sort of news we come across every day…. A European deputy is knocking down obstacles one by one with an innovative project. A project which could truly revolutionise laboratory practices concerning animal welfare! This project provides real hope that one day animal experimentation will only exist in history books…
A founding project
The European senator Younous Omarjee is the founder of this pilot project which will help improve the evaluation of new alternative methods to animal experimentation in the European Union, as well as promoting the use and dissemination of existing alternative methods. Importantly, it will also establish education campaigns and specific training for scientists, and also doctors, veterinarians and businesses involved with animal experimentation.
Step by step
The project has been taken on in the first instance by the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI). One Voice provided support to this project, writing to the Euro-Deputies at each stage, particularly to the budget commission members, who needed to be convinced to vote in its favour… a big lobbying campaign that proved to be effective. Despite the fact that the rapporteur was against the project, it was passed by a large majority on the 28th of September, thanks to the action of One Voice and other NGO's, researchers and other civil players. 1 million euros will be allocated to this project in 2017! We just need it to be voted through in October's plenary session in the European Parliament…
A promise for the future
The acceptance of this project represents a big step towards replacing animal experimentation with more effective and ethical alternative scientific methods. It is coming up at a key moment because the Directive 2010/63/CE on the protection of animals used for scientific means could be up for review in 2017… This revision could be a milestone, prioritising and placing importance on the development of alternatives, as endorsed by the majority of the European deputies! It would also be an additional tool for One Voice who currently have a working group regarding animal experimentation at the National Assembly…
To support this project, share this information widely and write to your Euro-Deputies!
"Animal experimentation, which we believed for several centuries was essential to scientific progress, is being questioned today by citizens and associations who defend animal welfare, but also by more and more researchers who are questioning its scientific efficacy," stresses Younous Omarjee
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Pinpon | Saturday 24 June 2017
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