Brussels, 21/06/2006 (Agence Europe) -The date 21 June 2006 means progress for laboratory animal welfare for two reasons. Large European companies belonging to the European Partnership on Alternative Approaches to Animal Testing have published their so-called “3 Rs” concept aimed at refining, reducing and replacing animal use to meet regulatory safety requirements. That same day, the European Commission also published guidelines for labelling cosmetic products as “not tested on animals”, to allow the industry to indicate that no animal tests have been carried out by the manufacturer and suppliers in relation to the product development. Common criteria are applied for the use of such claims, in particular to ensure that they do not mislead the consumer or lead to unfair competition.
Concluded one year ago by the European Commission, professional associations and key companies in the chemical, pharmaceuticals, biotechnological and cosmetics sectors, the partnership on alternative approaches to animal testing pledges to cooperate in fields such as research, the validation of alternative methods and the sharing of best practices.
The action programme sets out priorities and will facilitate validation and acceptance of alternative methods or strategies being developed at the European Centre for Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM).
To date, 23 alternative approaches to animal testing have been validated in Europe, and some thirty others are under validation. We recall that European legislation makes animal testing a last resort when there is no alternative method and that, since 2003, it bans cosmetic ingredients or products tested on animals when alternative methods are available. Also, from 2009, the ban will be valid for all cosmetics tested on animals, even if non-animal alternative testing is not available.