(18/09/08) Voorlopig geen nieuwe wetgeving op dierenbescherming

• 2008-09-18

De Commissie schuift de herziening van de wetgeving rond dierenbescherming steeds maar naar voren. De bestaande wet is nochtans dringend aan herziening toe. Deze is 20 jaar oud en fel achterhaald, zeker wat dierenbescherming in dierenproeven betreft.

Ongehoord, vindt Caroline Lucas, groen Europarlementslid uit het V.K. en voorzitter van de interparlementaire werkgroep Dierenwelzijn.

PERSBERICHT EUROPESE GROENE FRACTIE:

Commission blocks better animal protection standards

Reacting to the Commission's decision to postpone revision of its 20 year old legislation on the use of animals in experiments, UK Green MEP Caroline Lucas, vice-president of the European Parliament intergroup on animal welfare, commented:

"It is unacceptable that the European Commission continues to sit on its hands and block improved standards of animal protection. The animal experiments directive (Directive 86/609 EEC) is completely out of date – over 20 years old. Currently over 10 million animals are used in experiments in the EU each year, and hundreds of thousands of animals currently receive no protection at all. The European Commission has been promising to update the animal experiments directive for years, with publication of the legislative proposal originally expected in 2007.

Since then, the dossier has stumbled at every hurdle. Further delay is simply unacceptable. Urgent action is needed to improve the protection of animals and to replace out-dated animal experiments with non-animal techniques.

In order to respond to public opinion, the Commission must improve standards of animal protection, and increase transparency and accountability in the revision of this Directive. In May this year, renowned bioethicist and primatologist Jane Goodall presented a 150,000 signature petition to the European Parliament calling for an improved strategy for the use of animals in experiments. The Commission has regrettably chosen to ignore public opinion and shelve proposals once again."