National Antivisection Society
The NAVS challenges EU death sentence for 20 million animals
11th July 2003
The National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS) has made a submission to the European Union in a bid to change a new policy which could herald the deaths of 20 million animals. The draft EU Chemicals Policy, published in May, would see a backlog of over 30,000 substances, already on the market for over twenty years, tested on animals including rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, mice, birds and fish. Many will suffer chemicals pumped into their stomachs, forced into their lungs, or rubbed into their skin or eyes.
The policy was developed after calls from environmentalists and consumer groups for greater protection from chemicals. Jan Creamer, Chief Executive of the NAVS said: “We fully support increased safety from dangerous chemicals for people, animals and the environment, but this shouldn’t mean that millions of animals are sacrificed unnecessarily. There are non-animal methods of testing available and we urge the European Union to explore these options”. The deadline for submissions to the draft closed yesterday, but finalising the policy may take three years.
