Scientific institutions support animal welfare guidelines

More than one hundred scientific organizations, including the Leibniz Association, the Helmholtz Association and the German Research Foundation (DFG) support a statement of the Wellcome Trust in favor of animal testing for scientific purposes within the framework of the European Directive. The Wellcome Trust is based in England and is the world's second largest Foundation for Medical Research.

On 3 March 2015, the European citizens’ initiative "stop vivisection" presented the European Commission with about 1.2 million signatures, of which almost two-thirds came from Italy. The aim of the citizen’s initiative is to put an end to the 2010 adopted guidelines 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes and to submit a new proposal based on the abolition of animal testing. This proposal will be discussed at a public hearing and an official response from the European Commission must be given no later than three months after the hearing.

In the statement, the science organizations reaffirmed the importance of animals in research where alternative methods are not available and where significant findings for the health of humans and animals must be expected. The EU animal welfare directive have raised animal welfare standards and introduced the 3R concept in Europe. This concept states that animals must whenever possible be replaced by alternative methods (Replacement) that the number of animals must be reduced to a minimum (Reduction) and that the methods must be improved so that the suffering of animals is reduced to a minimum (Refinement).

The scientific organizations appeal to the European Parliament and the European Commission to reject the "Stop Vivisection" initiative. The implementation of the EU Animal Welfare Directive would imply a setback for animal protection, it would also mean that highly qualified research for the benefit of people, and animals in the EU would be at risk.

A European Citizens' Initiative is challenging the European Commission to propose legislation in areas for which the EU is responsible, for example environment, agriculture, transport, public health and research and innovation. A citizens' initiative can only be considered if it has signatures of at least one million EU citizens, from at least 7 member states.