Rethink over animal testing rules

Date: 10/12/1998

By Renée Cordes

THE European Commission is set to spark protests from several member states when it unveils proposals for new restrictions on testing cosmetic products on animals.

Officials are drafting legislation which would ban perfume and cosmetic makers from testing entire cosmetic products or individual ingredients on mice, rabbits or other animals - but only if alternative methods of testing could be found.

It is not yet clear whether the Commission will propose setting strict deadlines for implementing the measure.

The proposed new law would replace legislation agreed by EU governments last year which would have banned the sale of finished goods tested on animals by 2000.

The Commission will suggest that these marketing restrictions should be scrapped amid concern that they violate international trade rules, whereas a ban on using animals to test products would not.

While countries which are home to large perfume makers such as France are expected to support the proposal, the UK and the Netherlands are likely to press for even tougher measures. Pressure for further EU-wide measures on animal testing is increasing following the introduction of a voluntary ban on testing ingredients on animals in the UK last month.

However, officials acknowledge that a balance has to be struck. "The problem is that industry cannot continue to innovate without animal testing," said an official in the Commission's Directorate-General for industry (DGIII), who added that a strict ingredient test ban in cosmetic products would not be feasible.

"We agree that animal welfare is very important, but if we want to keep our cosmetic industry alive we have to maintain some animal testing possibilities," she said, pointing out that animals were used in only about 0.3% of tests on cosmetic ingredients.

But animal rights campaigners fear the proposed changes would not prompt cosmetics manufacturers to find alternative methods.

"If there were a clear cut-off date for ingredient testing, we feel the industry would be more actively leaning towards alternatives," said Sonja Van Tichelen, deputy director of the Eurogroup for Animal Welfare. She added, however, that proposals currently being drafted were a step in the right direction.