BUAV welcomes guidance to reduce animal testing

Thursday, 25 February 2010 12:00 AM

The BUAV today welcomes the production by the Health and Safety Executive of guidance on how to minimise animal testing under REACH.

The REACH legislation came into force on 1st June 2007 and is designed to ensure the safety of thousands of chemicals in our environment. Unfortunately, animal tests are still perceived to be the standard method of testing for chemical safety and it is now estimated that 75,000 chemicals may have to undergo new animal testing under the legislation, resulting in the suffering and death of between 16-54 million animals over the next ten years.

However, REACH mandates that animal testing should only be conducted as a "last resort" and that alternative methods should be used and promoted. The BUAV believes it is vital that all reasonable steps are taken to ensure that the spirit of REACH is upheld and these obligations are met. With this in mind we have calling for DEFRA and the competent authority HSE, over the past few months, to produce simplified guidance so that chemical companies are able to avoid animal testing.

The Guidance issued today details the methods by which animal testing can be avoided. For example, it encourages companies to use all available data before commissioning new animal tests as well as to use the in vitro human skin methods to test for skin irritation*. It reiterates situations where testing is not necessary and where it will be acceptable to avoid animal tests. The Guidance also summarises the alternatives to animal tests that are available such as test tube systems and computer models.

Dr Katy Taylor, the BUAV's Scientific Coordinator says; "There are plenty of scenarios by which it is really easy to avoid animal testing. As a first step, it is vital that everyone registering chemicals for REACH is aware of and use these. We are delighted that the HSE has issued this comprehensive and yet easy to read guidance. We hope this marks the start of an acknowledgment by the authorities both in the UK and the rest of Europe that animal testing is a real issue and must be avoided."

*The 'standard' animal test for skin irritation is the cruel and unreliable rabbit Draize test in which the skin of a rabbit is shaved and the chemical rubbed into the skin. 752 rabbits were still used last year (2008) for this purpose in the UK alone and over 10,000 are used annually in the EU.

Link to guidance on HSE website:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/reach/resources/18animaltesting.pdf

For further information, please contact Sarah Kite at sarah.kite@buav.org or +44 207 700 4888

Tags: