Animal testing laws around the world
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As you’ll see, there are few laws protecting laboratory animals, and little regulatory oversight to ensure compliance with these laws. Show The Animal Welfare Act: The Animal Welfare Act, or AWA, is a federal law that addresses the standard of care animals receive at research facilities. This law excludes roughly 95 percent of the animals tested upon—such as rats, mice, birds, fish, and reptiles—and provides only minimal protections for the rest. Labs are not required to report non-AWA protected animals. The Public Health Service: The Public Health Service, or PHS, oversees the two federal agencies doing the most testing on animals: the Food and Drug Administration (the FDA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the CDC). The PHS has a policy dictating vertebrate animal care for laboratories that receive federal funding, but the policy lacks enforcement and PHS’s oversight is widely criticized as inadequate. The agency requires only written assurance of compliance through the Office of Laboratory Welfare,OLAW. When a facility is found deficient, OLAW takes little action, has no mandated follow-up or on-site inspection. The United States Department of Agriculture: The United States Department of Agriculture, or USDA, is the federal agency responsible for overseeing and inspecting laboratories that experiment on animals, as well as those who breed and sell animals for use in laboratories. There are big problems with this agency’s oversight. It’s generally known that the agency is underfunded and understaffed, and thus unable to adequately fulfill this important task. The USDA last reported that the agency employs only 120 inspectors, who are responsible for ensuring compliance for more than 12,000 facilities. These include not just laboratory animal facilities, but also those involved in the of exhibition, breeding and dealing of animals, like zoos, commercial dog breeders, circuses and more. Even if the USDA were fully staffed and funded, penalties for non-compliance are often inconsequential in comparison to massive research revenues. Additionally, federally-owned facilities, like the Department of Defense, are not inspected by the USDA. Other Regulatory Bodies: There are some other regulatory bodies that purport to protect laboratory animals. One of these is the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care, a private, nonprofit accreditation organization aimed at improving humane care for laboratory animals—though a damning 2014 report found that AALAC-accredited institutions are cited for more Animal Welfare Act violations than institutions not accredited by the organization. Institutions that experiment on covered animals are also required under federal regulations to convene an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, which self-regulates experiments at their institutions. This body must include a veterinarian and one person not affiliated with the institution. The IACUC’s purpose is to review and approve protocols involving animals, and to ensure compliance. The committees are often criticized as being too cozy with researchers, leading to lax self-regulation.
Millions of animals are used and killed in the name of progress every year. Globally. Europe
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FIND OUT MORE ABOUT ANIMAL TESTING
Our Historysubtitle: Established in 1898, Cruelty Free International is firmly rooted in the early social justice movement and has a long and inspiring history. Science Page
 What is animal testing?subtitle: Animals used in laboratories are deliberately harmed, not for their own good, and are usually killed at the end of the experiment. Science Page
Types of animal testingsubtitle: Animal testing is carried out in a wide range of areas, including biological research, and testing medicines and chemicals. Science Page
subtitle: Millions of animals are used and killed in the name of progress every year. Science Page
Which countries require animal testing by law?How many countries require animal testing on cosmetics? China is the only country with a nationwide imposition on cosmetic animal testing. Even though this is changing slowly. Russia also mandates some animal testing on cosmetics, but it is very unclear which, why and how.
Is animal testing legal in Europe?Tests on animals for cosmetics ingredients and sales of animal-tested products are banned across the European Union (EU).
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