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Posted: 11/12/09
The ECEAE has today strongly criticised German MEP Elisabeth Jeggle and the European Parliament for misleading the public about proposals to revise the animal experiments directive
Ms Jeggle is the lead MEP for the revision.
Recent Parliament press statements featuring Ms Jeggle focus on the development of medicines and research into diseases of ageing, and say that the aim is to use animal alternatives wherever possible. They claim that there must be compulsory assessment of each experiment to safeguard animal welfare. In fact:
- The compromise Ms Jeggle is seeking to broker would allow animals – even primates – to be used for just about any purpose, not just medical research. She fails to give any details about this
- Many safety tests would escape scrutiny by member states
- In very many cases, researchers would be able to continue to use animals even where there are scientifically proven alternatives
Michelle Thew, ECEAE chief executive commented: ‘It is appalling that, not only is this so-called compromise totally out of step with public opinion, Ms Jeggle is pretending that it is a good deal for animals in laboratories. Amongst many appalling measures, her document would allow suffering which is both severe and long-lasting, and for individual animals to be re-used repeatedly. Other politicians need to wake up to what is happening. Even where people accept some animal experiments, they want them limited to serious diseases, where there really is no alternative, and for severe suffering to be banned’.
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