August 2, 2022 Famagusta Gazette Europe 0
As of today, one million EU citizens have signed the End Animal Testing European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI); an enormous political push for animals in laboratories.
Cruelty Free Europe joined forces with over 100 other animal protection organisations across the EU to launch the #EndAnimalTesting ECI which calls for a Europe-wide plan to bring animal experiments to an end in Europe. Today marks the collection of one million signatures – a huge milestone for these forgotten animals.
Kerry Postlewhite, Cruelty Free Europe’s Director of Public Affairs, says: “One million signatures is a phenomenal milestone, but animals who continue to suffer in cruel and outdated experiments need so much more. We have built the largest-ever coalition to end animal experiments and are phenomenally proud of this collaborative effort.
“However, the fight to get dogs, cats, monkeys, rabbits, guinea pigs and other animals out of laboratories isn’t over yet. We need to keep collecting signatures to ensure that Europe’s lawmakers understand just how important this matter is to EU citizens.”
Over the last eleven months, the campaign has held events throughout the EU, obtained media coverage in international newspapers and run innovative digital campaigns – enabling all EU citizens to add their names to this compassionate movement.
Postlewhite continues: “EU citizens have just one more month to sign this ground-breaking initiative and send an overwhelming message that the people of Europe care. Together, we demand an end to animal suffering and a faster transition to humane, human-relevant, animal-free testing and research.”
In 2019, there was a total of 10.5 million uses of animals in Europe’s laboratories according to the legislation governing animal experiments in the EU. Out of the 10.5 million uses, 41% were considered by the researchers to have caused moderate or severe suffering to the animals involved.
2019 saw a shocking 19% increase in LD50 (Lethal Dose 50) tests on mice. These tests aim to find the dose of a substance that kills 50% of the animals involved.
The ECI will bring about a seismic shift in science in the EU, with the potential to benefit animals, the economy and humans. BIO, the world’s largest trade association representing biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centres and related organisations in more than 30 other nations, reports that 92% of drugs fail in human trials even though they passed pre-clinical tests, including animal tests.
Urology drugs now have the lowest success rate (only 4% are approved after entering clinical trials), followed by heart drugs (5%), cancer drugs (5%) and neurology drugs (6%).
Postlewhite said: “It is high time we put a stop to animals suffering and dying in cruel experiments in Europe.”
Exposing the Big Game 
Reblogged this on Committee to Abolish Sport Hunting Blog.