EU gives higher priority to Animal Welfare July02 |
Today the
European Parliament in Strasbourg passed overwhelmingly proposals to set
up two full Regulatory Committees to review the protection of animals used
for experimental and other scientific purposes. Speaking after
the vote, Bashir Khanbhai, Conservative MEP for the East of England
said: "The current EU Directives have not been updated
for over 15 years. Since then there have been many scientific advances in
testing of medicines without the use of animals. This new Parliamentary
Committee will provide the necessary legal mechanism to prescribe and
promote improvements in the control and welfare of animals to minimise the
use of animals for testing. It is an indication of the priority MEPs from
all political parties place on finding valid alternatives to animal
testing." |