MakeAnimalTestingHistory.org is holding a “virtual march” to support updating Europe’s law on animal experiments to better protect animals and increase action on non-animal alternatives.  If you live in an EU country, PLEASE join the virtual march!  You can also join if you’re non-EU — I joined!  Just for fun!  Apparently 222 other Americans have joined as well (!).  

Isn’t the whole idea of a virtual march clever?  It has a really cute animated march going on — if you click on the animated marching people, you can see their names and countries.  (Your name and animated icon if you sign up!)

Here is the proposed revision the march is in support of:

Revision of Directive 86/609

More than 115 million animals a year are used in laboratories around the world[1], with around 12 million animals used annually in the European Union alone[2].

Council Directive 86/609/EEC on the protection of animals used for experimental and other scientific purposes, is the European legislation that regulates animal experiments. It is more than 20 years old and urgently in need of updating in order to better protect animals in laboratories and to achieve the ultimate replacement of animals with more advanced, humane alternatives. A revised law has now been proposed.

Surveys and opinion polls clearly show that the public demands better protection for animals, with 79% of EU citizens believing there is insufficient public funding at European level for the development and validation of alternative methods to replace animal experiments[3]. The new EU law must reflect this high level of public concern and apply the requirement of the Amsterdam Protocol which obliges the EU to pay full regard to the welfare of animals in its research policy.

To benefit people and animals, replacing unsatisfactory animal experiments with more relevant and reliable non-animal methods must be the ultimate goal. Revision of Directive 86/609 provides Europe with an opportunity to lead the world in the development of non-animal methods. To achieve that the EU needs a targeted and properly funded strategy that places replacement at the heart of the new legislation.

Categories : against animal testing, cruelty free