AR-News: (EU) Chemical Industry demo

[AR-News]

> 20 April 2004
> 
> BUAV targets chemicals industry on World Lab Animal Week
> 
> On 20th April, to mark World Week for Laboratory Animals 2004, animal
> rights groups from the European Coalition to End Animal Experiments
> (ECEAE) held a demonstration outside the Chemicals Industry Association
> (CEFIC) in Brussels, Belgium, to protest against the use of cruel animal
> tests by chemical companies.   
> 
> Animal rights groups from across the EU called for the chemical industry's
> cruel and scientifically outdated animal poisoning experiments to be
> replaced by humane non-animal tests. Leading UK campaigners the British
> Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) attended the demonstration
> as part of their Harmful If Swallowed campaign opposing the use of animal
> toxicity tests.
> 
> It was a very successful event, with lots of interest from the media.
> Campaigners were dressed in animal costumes with eye-catching "Stop toxic
> testing" banners and oil drums painted with a skull and cross-bones;
> campaigners played the "death march" on a trumpet throughout the event.
> Two protesters, one dressed in a suit representing the EU Commission and
> the other wearing a white 'CEFIC' lab coat, stood at the front of the demo
> whilst 'blood' was poured over their hands in front of the CEFIC building
> to represent the blood of the millions of animals who will die in EU
> chemical testing. 
> 
> Chemical testing has been in the spotlight since the European Commission
> published proposals for a future chemical strategy (REACH) in October
> 2003.   REACH aims to introduce a new framework for chemicals regulation,
> but at its heart is a collection of some of the cruellest animal tests
> used.   
> 
> Millions of animals will be force-fed toxic substances and suffer sudden
> or gradual poisoning.  Although a few animal tests have already been
> replaced by modern non-animal techniques, millions of animals will still
> suffer in outdated and discredited poisoning tests unless urgent action is
> taken.
> 
> Whilst the ECEAE supports the need for a new chemical regulation, it
> demands the use of an entirely non-animal testing strategy and calls on
> CEFIC to do more to develop non-animal tests in time for REACH.
> 
> Emily McIvor, BUAV EU Political Co-ordinator, says:
> "Chemical poisoning tests are hideously cruel and scientifically
> unreliable. If REACH aims to protect humans and the environment from toxic
> chemicals, poisoning animals to death is not the way to achieve this. The
> chemicals industry must help stop lab animal suffering by actively
> supporting well-funded strategies to replace animal tests immediately. 
> 
> At the very least, chemical companies should allow their chemicals and
> existing test data to be used for validation studies conducted by the
> European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM) so that
> new non-animal tests can be approved more quickly. They must also allow
> non-animal tests they've developed for  'in house' use to be used by
> regulators and most urgently these multinational companies should give
> substantial funds instead of just paying lip service to the further
> development of new non-animal tests so that animal toxicity testing can be
> replaced by the REACH deadline."
> 
> The ECEAE (and the BUAV) believes that animal tests are not only cruel but
> also unreliable and lacking relevance to real toxic effects in human
> beings.  A BUAV/ECEAE report(1) published in March 2004 demonstrates that
> animal test data can confuse regulators because of the lack of relevance
> to human health effects and the difficulties extrapolating results from
> animals to people or from laboratory doses to real life exposure. In the
> very worst cases, substances thought to be safe after animal testing can
> be released onto the market, endangering human populations and the
> environment.
> 
> Emily McIvor, BUAV EU Political Co-ordinator, says:
> "The chemicals industry claims that regulations require animal tests, but
> this is no excuse for inaction and the industry itself could do much to
> change this. The chemicals industry makes EURbillions each year yet its
> contribution towards replacing animal tests has been pathetic.  Given the
> state of scientific advances in other areas, it is a disgrace that in the
> early 21st Century animals are still force-fed chemicals to find out if
> they are poisonous, particularly as the results are so unreliable. The
> industry must accept responsibility for the animal tests it carries out,
> and play a leading role in replacing them with modern non-animal tests,
> rather than claiming that its hands are tied. "
> 
> 
> NOTES  
> 1 For more information see: Chemical Safety and Animal Testing: A
> Regulatory Smokescreen?, A British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection
> report by Dr Gill Langley. http://www.buav.org/pdfs/Smokescreen.pdf.
>  
> 
> 
> 
> 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------------
> Wendy Higgins
> Campaigns Director
> British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection 
> 16a Crane Grove
> London N7 8NN
> United Kingdom
> Tel: +44 (0)20 7700 4888
> Fax: +44 (0)20 7700 0196
> www.buav.org
> 
> 
> 
> Please visit www.buav.org or call 020 7700 4888 for further information
> about the work of the BUAV or to support our campaigns.
> 
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