Europeans opposed to animal experimentation are calling for an end to the practice.
Animal protection groups across Europe have launched a massive pan-European petition calling on the European Union (EU) to increase action on replacing animal experiments with non-animal techniques. The petition has been launched in response to the planned revision of Europe's desperately out-of-date, 20-year-old legislation governing the practice.
Animal and patient advocacy groups are urging the EU to use the revision of the legislation (Directive 86/609) as a spring board to increase efforts to replace animal experiments with more humane and scientifically relevant non- animal techniques. Currently, more than 13 million animal experiments take place in Europe every year.
Wendy Higgins, Communications Director from the Dr Hadwen Trust for humane Research, said: "There's unlikely to be a better moment than this for the European Union to really commit to meaningful action to replace animal experiments. It would be disastrous if we let it slip through our fingers."
Signatures are being collected in 11 European languages, making this one of the biggest pan-European petition launches of its kind.