Animal testing and animal welfare
Animal testing and animal welfare
Animals are used in the assessment of the safety of pesticides (crop protection products), to both humans and the environment, as required by European law (Directive 91/414/EEC). Although alternative test methods have reduced the reliance on animal testing and the number of animals involved, computer simulations and test tube methods cannot yet replicate the complexity or reactions of a living creature.
Nevertheless, the crop protection industry is committed to the minimal and responsible use of animals, using alternative research and testing methods where possible. This is the essence of the “Three Rs” concept (“Refine, Reduce, Replace”). The research-based crop protection industry is committed to:
- Requiring the minimum number of animals;
- Treating them appropriately and responsibly, and
- Using alternative research and testing methods whenever feasible.
The European Partnership for Alternative Approaches to Animal Testing (EPAA)
The EPAA is an unprecedented collaboration between the European Commission services and seven industry sectors including ECPA. The partners have committed to pooling knowledge, research and resources to accelerate the development, validation and acceptance of alternative approaches over an initial five-year period. An action programme has been agreed and specific areas assigned to six working groups:
Mapping of past and current 3R activities:
- Prioritisation, promotion and implementation of new research.
- Identification, dissemination and implementation of best practice.
- Implementation of the 3Rs in regulation and decision making.
- Validation and acceptance.
- Communications.
- The goal of the EPAA is to ensure that every opportunity is taken to refine, reduce and replace the use of animals in safety assessment tests.
ILSI-ACSA project
The crop protection industry has actively supported a project called Agricultural Chemical Safety Assessment (ACSA), which was initiated in 2000 under the auspices of the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI). The goal of the project is to develop a consensus across sectors (government, academia, and industry) on a credible and viable testing approach for assessing safety of crop protection products. The project has developed an innovative, improved tiered testing scheme, which provides greater efficiency, uses fewer animals and provides improved data for the safety assessment.
Animal welfare legislation
Animal testing is thus tightly controlled within the EU. Commission Directive 86/609 regulates the protection of animals used for experimental and other scientific purposes, and this has been translated into national animal welfare legislation in the Member States. The crop protection industry operates to high ethical standards, and uses only appropriately licensed, reputable organisations to carry out safety assessment work.
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