Feb15
Three Government Agencies to End Animal Testing?
Posted at 01:09 PM | Permalink
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Comments (20)
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Courtesy of the good folks in PETA’s Regulatory Testing Division—who have been working behind the scenes with these agencies for years to get them to admit that their bloated animal testing programs (which are responsible for the suffering and death of hundreds of millions of animals) are outdated, ineffective, and, frankly, absurd—here’s a little rundown on what this all means, and how it came about:
First of all, this is a significant about-face for the NTP and the EPA—both of whom have been shockingly resistant to incorporating modern science into their toxicity testing programs. It looks like the United States is finally beginning to realize (as Europe has known for some time and as the animal protection community has been advocating for years) that the public and the environment can be better protected through non-animal in vitro tests based on well-understood biological principles than by throwing wads of cash and millions upon millions of lives into the bottomless pit of animal testing.
Fighting this entrenched, bureaucratic mentality over the past couple of decades hasn’t been easy—and, as usual, we’ve had to use a two-pronged attack to get it done: While our Regulatory Testing Division comments on each animal testing plan that the EPA and the NTP puts forward, works directly with top corporations doing the testing and finding alternatives, testifies at government workshops and before Congress, and, occasionally, sues the government to disclose their deliberations about promoting animal tests, our Campaigns Department gets out the billboards, the bullhorns, and the bunny suits and shouts about these ludicrous, wasteful experiments to anyone who will listen. During this time, PETA has convinced the Department of Transportation to stop testing corrosive substances on rabbits, followed Al Gore around on his campaign stops with a 10-foot rabbit to convince him to stop pushing EPA animal tests, and worked (ever-so-patiently) to persuade regulatory agencies which still believe that it’s important, for example, to keep testing asbestos on animals (the NTP) and which have failed to ban a single toxic industrial chemical in more than a decade (the EPA) that maybe it’s time to stop testing on animals and start using modern science instead. We’ve also funded the development and incorporation of non-animal test methods to the tune of more than ¾ million dollars in recent years.
This new collaboration is certainly something different, and it’s a promising step in the right direction—but it has to be backed up with Congressional will and funding if it’s going to get anywhere. A new entity must be created with the resources to get the job done—it can not be left to the EPA and the NTP. The fact that the head of the human genome project is involved with this is a good sign—it’s going to take an intense, focused effort on the scale of the human genome project to get the job done.
So we’re hoping that the prevailing wind surrounding the National Research Council’s vision and the newly announced collaboration between the NTP and the EPA will provide the momentum necessary to overcome the inertia that has characterized the American government’s attitude to toxicity testing for decades, and which causes the suffering and death of more than 15 million animals every year.
For more information on what you can do to help animals used for experimentation, check out StopAnimalTests.com.
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Comments
the mills of burocracy are a really deadly labyrinth! i'm bleeding for these poor abused creatures. here i just can ad that once again i admire the steadiness of the PETA-angels!
Posted by: minotaurus | February 15, 2008 01:30 PM
Thank you guys!! i hope you go through with it! If you don't im gonna haunt you in your dreams...
Posted by: Amber Falobas | February 15, 2008 02:39 PM
ANIMAL TASTING IS JUST WRONG AND REALY BA I WOULD HATE TO BE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO DO ANIMAL TESTING FOR A JOD. I KNOW I WOULDNT LIKE TO GO OUT AND SHOVE A COUPLE OF TUBES DOWN SOME ANIMALS THROUGHTG AND I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THAT I WAS THE ONE THAT CAUSEED THEM TO DIE!!! SO WHY DO THEY DO IT
Posted by: Anonymous | February 15, 2008 04:13 PM
Very complete post, Jack.
This will be a quantum leap if everything goes according to plan.
Posted by: Mike Quinoa | February 15, 2008 04:31 PM
hello!!
(I´m Chilean. Sorry for my level english)
I need To Know if the next mark test on animals:
DAVIS, KONICA, KEY COMPANY. (Its products: deodorant ETIQUET, body cream GLICENOL, shampoo BALLERINA.
Very Thank!
Posted by: Daniela Vargas | February 15, 2008 09:51 PM
Animal testing wouldn't be as bad if the animals were treated with ALOT more respect and care.Although animal testing leads to medical development in order to saved peoples lives I recently discovered that they were not given any painkillers while procedures were taking place on them! The animals that were being tested on were left to suffer and die in their pathetically small cages and i was disgusted and horrified by it. Nobody has the right to treat animals like that, because like us they have the right to life! I cannnot understand why more isnt being done to stop this happening. Animals do not voulounteer to be tested on, they have no say in the matter, so why should they indure such pain and cruelty?!
Posted by: Anonymous | February 16, 2008 08:06 AM
Hi Daniela:
You can download a list of companies that do and do not test on animals here: http://www.caringconsumer.com/resources_companies.asp.
If you're wondering about a company that's not on the list, you can always contact that company and ask them directly... they should be aware that this is an issue their customers care about.
Hope this helps!
Posted by: Nancy | February 16, 2008 01:49 PM
This is so extremely great!! I am so, so happy!! I hope and pray that this works out for every single animal in this world being tortured by those sickos!!!!!!
GOOD LUCK ANIMALS!!!!
GOD BLESS YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Debra R | February 16, 2008 03:01 PM
Hurray. I'm glad to see progress is being made. The US is so slow moving with policy change, and animal testing is not only cruel but very ineffective and outdated. Essentially it is a waste of money, when much more effective methods can be used. Cheers to the progress.
Posted by: Amanda Byelich | February 16, 2008 06:39 PM
I hate the fact that animal testing has gone on for so long. This makes me cry when I see animals in pain. A lot of people I know do not understand my position. I am proud Peta is our voice and that we need to change peoples conceptions. I can't believe how people can be so cruel to animals and have absolutely no compassion. My husband and I are both animal lovers. I know some people actually believe animals were put on this earth to eat, or that they do not have any intelligence. I think its them who have no intelligence. Rock on!
Posted by: eUGENIA | February 16, 2008 07:25 PM
Leave these innocent animals alone! They were meant to roam the earth & be free, not placed in cages & mutilated than destroyed. The heartless people who do these experiments can't possibly be human, because humans feel & react to pain & suffering. Why must you do these test over and over again? Use yourself for the experiments if your so interested in mutilation. STOP NOW!!
Posted by: Lisa Needleman | February 17, 2008 11:58 AM
Wow!!! I know there's more work to be done but I didn't think I'd see this happen in my lifetime! PeTA, you're amazing!
Posted by: lynda downie | February 18, 2008 01:35 AM
The federal government (using taxpayer money) is one of the largest funders of animal experimentation.
To have these three agencies end their complicity in the torture and killing of animals in the name of "science" would be a huge step forward towards the ultimate goal of total abolition.
Let's push them to make this transition as quickly as possible!
Posted by: Brandon Becker | February 18, 2008 12:23 PM
i said it before i will say it again!.. animal research doesnt benefit humans anymore than lawn-mower studies benefit car (or racing) engines, siav.org mrmcmed.org pcrm.org curedisease.com
Posted by: indycar01 | February 18, 2008 05:33 PM
I think that animal experimentation should be illegal. Good for the government because there trying to stop it.
Posted by: addy johnson | February 20, 2008 03:34 PM
Joe, you are clearly devoid of compassion. Why should animals be maimed, tortured and/or killed in order to allegedly help humans? There is simply NO need to test on animals, and it actually has HARMED humans. Go to www.curedisease.com for more.
Posted by: Michele | February 21, 2008 09:24 PM
There has never been any advancement in scientific research in testing on animals..the facts speak for themselves..we have more research today than ever before, and have more diseases..animal research only exists for the profit it gives to these greedy animal abusers..if you want to know the facts join Europeans for medical progress who are trained doctors..
Posted by: ann mallon | February 22, 2008 02:20 PM
i hope the animals are freed for good. i wish you good luck, and will help support in any way possible
Posted by: Pam | March 3, 2008 08:03 PM
please please please i will help in any way possible, good luck.......here is a fact if you go to court for a trial(1.16% of all animal disease are realated to humans so if you are killing animals for the 1.16%, then they are crazy. there are way more diseases so why kill 100 million animals to just treat 5 causes.
Posted by: Pam | March 3, 2008 08:08 PM
Animal Testing should be illegal int he Untied States!!!
it's useless and harming the innocent animals for no reason!
some one needs to do something about this!
Posted by: Megan | March 13, 2008 09:32 AM