cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/4820860

Archived version

The European Union is at a pivotal moment in its efforts to modernise chemical safety regulation, as policymakers, industry leaders and animal welfare advocates converge on the need to accelerate the transition away from animal testing under the REACH framework [European Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals].

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Jay Ingram, Director of Chemicals at Humane World for Animals (HWA), described the current juncture as a once-in-a-generation opportunity.

“We are at a substantial and important moment in time right now. The regulation has been in force for nearly two decades, and this is the first time that we are seeing it opened up and ready for revision,” he said.

“It’s a crucial time for Europe. It’s a crucial time for chemical safety, not just in Europe, but globally. People see Europe as a real leading light in the regulatory sphere. We also see it as a real turning point for science. Science has developed so much over the last two decades, and we really need to make sure that we make the most of it.”

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Ingram argued that non-animal methods of safety assessment are now sufficiently advanced to support more efficient and protective regulatory decisions.

“The science that we have available to us, non-animal methods of safety assessment, will enable us to make more pragmatic decisions faster and better regulatory decisions. And I really feel that this is an opportunity for us to start leveraging more non-animal methods, start applying better science, and really enhancing the level of protection for humans and the environment.”

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