European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals used for Experimental and other Scientific Purposes

Animal experimentation convention
European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals used for Experimental and other Scientific Purposes
Signed	18 March 1986
Location	Strasbourg, France
Effective	1 January 1991
Condition	4 ratifications by Council of Europe member states
Signatories	28 states + EU
Ratifiers	22 states + EU
Depositary	Secretary General of the Council of Europe
Citations	CETS No. 123
Languages	English and French

Last updated February 16, 2022

The European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals used for Experimental and other Scientific Purposes, sometimes simply referred to as the animal experimentation convention or laboratory animals convention,^[1] is an animal welfare treaty of the Council of Europe regarding animal testing, adopted on 18 March 1986 in Strasbourg, and effective since 1 January 1991.^[2]

Development

Due to increased public awareness and debate about animal welfare in the 1960s, the Council of Europe became more concerned with the wellbeing of animals, and developed a number of conventions based on animal welfare recommendations resulting from the latest scientific research in applied ethology.^[3]

For the development of the European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals Used for Experimental and Other Scientific Purposes, the Council of Europe closely cooperated with the Commission of the European Union (before 1992 the European Communities), and the Commission adopted the very similar Directive 86/609/EEC (revised in 2008–2010 to Directive 2010/63/EU), implementing the convention in EU law.^[1] Although the laboratory animals convention did not add much to existing national legislation already in force in some CoE member states in 1986, it had two important effects. Firstly, it led to the recognition by all CoE member states that animal suffering in experimentation was a problem, that could partly be solved, and that this should be done at the international level. Secondly, it saw a Europe-wide codification of norms, standards and principles by governmental experts, animal welfare organisations, scientific researchers, and the industries involved.^[1]

A Protocol of Amendment was adopted on 22 June 1998.^[4]

There is a strong overlap between the European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals used for Experimental and other Scientific Purposes on the one hand, and Directive 86/609/EEC (in 2010 replaced by Directive 2010/63/EU) on the other, as they were developed in close cooperation between the Council of Europe and the European Communities.^[1]^[5] They include the following provisions:^[5]

Which species may and may not be used for testing, and which species are entitled to protection during testing (namely, live non-human vertebrates, with some exceptions).
Which activities may and may not be performed with the designated species for testing, and under which conditions to avoid or reduce pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm.
Which reasons are valid for animal testing:
- Disease prevention in humans, animals or plants
- Diagnosis or treatment of diseases in humans, animals or plants
- Analysis of physiological conditions in humans, animals or plants
- Environmental protection
- Scientific research (not allowed by the EEC Directive)
- Education and training, and forensic inquiries (not allowed by the EEC Directive)
Compliance with the Three Rs principles
What to do with animals after the experiment is over (killed 'humanely' to relieve suffering, re-used if capable and appropriate, or released).
Regulation of how competent persons are authorised to carry out research.
Regulation of qualifications of researchers and governmental inspections.
Regulation of breeding, feeding and caring of laboratory animals.
Publication of research performance and results, the effect on the test subjects, and recommendations on how to further reduce animal suffering in future experiments.

Status

The animal experimentation convention and its 1998 Protocol of Amendment form part of the core of European legislation concerning animal welfare, which also includes the European Convention for the Protection of Animals kept for Farming Purposes (1976, with its 1992 Protocol of Amendment), the European Convention for the Protection of Animals for Slaughter (1979), the European Convention for the Protection of Animals during International Transport (adopted 1968, revised 2003), and the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals (1987).^[4]

As of May 2021, 22 states and the European Union have ratified the animal experimentation convention, and six states have only signed it.^[6]

Related Research Articles

Animal testing, also known as animal experimentation, animal research, and in vivo testing, is the use of non-human animals in experiments that seek to control the variables that affect the behavior or biological system under study. This approach can be contrasted with field studies in which animals are observed in their natural environments or habitats. Experimental research with animals is usually conducted in universities, medical schools, pharmaceutical companies, defense establishments, and commercial facilities that provide animal-testing services to the industry. The focus of animal testing varies on a continuum from pure research, focusing on developing fundamental knowledge of an organism, to applied research, which may focus on answering some questions of great practical importance, such as finding a cure for a disease. Examples of applied research include testing disease treatments, breeding, defense research, and toxicology, including cosmetics testing. In education, animal testing is sometimes a component of biology or psychology courses. The practice is regulated to varying degrees in different countries.

The Animals Act 1986, sometimes referred to as ASPA, is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed in 1986, which regulates the use of animals used for research in the UK. The Act permits studies to be conducted using animals for procedures such as breeding genetically modified animals, medical and veterinary advances, education, environmental toxicology and includes procedures requiring vivisection, if certain criteria are met. Revised legislation came into force on 1 January 2013. The original act related to the 1986 EU Directive 86/609/EEC which was updated and replaced by EU Directive 2010/63/EU

The Directive 96/9/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 1996 on the legal protection of databases is a directive of the European Union in the field of copyright law, made under the internal market provisions of the Treaty of Rome. It harmonises the treatment of databases under copyright law and the sui generis right for the creators of databases which do not qualify for copyright.

In the experimental (non-clinical) research arena, good laboratory practice or GLP is a quality system of management controls for research laboratories and organizations to ensure the uniformity, consistency, reliability, reproducibility, quality, and integrity of products in development for human or animal health through non-clinical safety tests; from physio-chemical properties through acute to chronic toxicity tests.

The National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS) is an international not-for-profit animal protection group, based in London, working to end animal testing, and focused on the replacement of animals in research with advanced, scientific techniques. Since 2006, the NAVS has operated its international campaigns under the working name Animal Defenders International (ADI), and the two groups now work together under the ADI name.

The European Union Computer Programs Directive controls the legal protection of computer programs under the copyright law of the European Union. It was issued under the internal market provisions of the Treaty of Rome. The most recent version is Directive 2009/24/EC.

Alternatives to animal testing are the development and implementation of test methods that avoid the use of live animals.

Animal testing regulations are guidelines that permit and control the use of non-human animals for scientific experimentation. They vary greatly around the world, but most governments aim to control the number of times individual animals may be used; the overall numbers used; and the degree of pain that may be inflicted without anesthetic.

Animals used by laboratories for testing purposes are largely supplied by dealers who specialize in selling them to universities, medical and veterinary schools, and companies that provide contract animal-testing services. It is comparatively rare that animals are procured from sources other than specialized dealers, as this poses the threat of introducing disease into a colony and confounding any data collected. However, suppliers of laboratory animals may include breeders who supply purpose-bred animals, businesses that trade in wild animals, and dealers who supply animals sourced from pounds, auctions, and newspaper ads. Animal shelters may also supply the laboratories directly. Some animal dealers, termed Class B dealers, have been reported to engage in kidnapping pets from residences or illegally trapping strays, a practice dubbed as bunching.

Pain negatively affects the health and welfare of animals. "Pain" is defined by the International Association for the Study of Pain as "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage." Only the animal experiencing the pain can know the pain's quality and intensity, and the degree of suffering. It is harder, if even possible, for an observer to know whether an emotional experience has occurred, especially if the sufferer cannot communicate. Therefore, this concept is often excluded in definitions of pain in animals, such as that provided by Zimmerman: "an aversive sensory experience caused by actual or potential injury that elicits protective motor and vegetative reactions, results in learned avoidance and may modify species-specific behaviour, including social behaviour." Nonhuman animals cannot report their feelings to language-using humans in the same manner as human communication, but observation of their behaviour provides a reasonable indication as to the extent of their pain. Just as with doctors and medics who sometimes share no common language with their patients, the indicators of pain can still be understood.

The European Partnership for Alternative Approaches to Animal Testing (EPAA) promotes the application of Russell and Burch’s 3Rs principles in meeting regulatory requirements for products such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, soaps, detergents and cosmetics. The EPAA covers research and development, as well as the use of 3Rs approaches in regulatory compliance and communication and dissemination.

The Three Rs (3Rs) are guiding principles for more ethical use of animals in product testing and scientific research. They were first described by W. M. S. Russell and R. L. Burch in 1959. The 3Rs are:

Replacement:methods which avoid or replace the use of animals in research
Reduction: use of methods that enable researchers to obtain comparable levels of information from fewer animals, or to obtain more information from the same number of animals.
Refinement: use of methods that alleviate or minimize potential pain, suffering or distress, and enhance animal welfare for the animals used.

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W. M. S. Russell British zoologist, originator of the 3Rs concept

William Moy Stratton Russell, also known as Bill Russell, was a British zoologist and animal welfare worker. He was best known for writing, along with R. L. Burch (1926-1996) The Principles of Humane Experimental Technique (1959), a landmark in the humane use of animals in research, education and testing. Russell and Burch introduced the concept of the Three Rs in the scientific community and provided a blueprint for combining animal welfare considerations and quality of research.

Christopher M. Sherwin was an English veterinary scientist and senior research fellow at the University of Bristol Veterinary School in Lower Langford, Somerset. He specialised in applied ethology, the study of the behaviour of animals in the context of their interactions with humans, and of how to balance the animals' needs with the demands placed on them by humans.

The European Convention for the Protection of Animals kept for Farming Purposes, also known as the Farm Animal Convention, is an animal welfare treaty of the Council of Europe, adopted on 10 March 1976 in Strasbourg, and effective since 10 September 1978.

The European Convention for the Protection of Animals for Slaughter, also known as the Slaughter Convention, is an animal welfare treaty of the Council of Europe, adopted on 10 May 1979 in Strasbourg, and effective since 11 June 1982. It establishes ethical standards pertaining to animal slaughter, such as stunning.

European Convention for the Protection of Animals during International Transport refers to two animal welfare treaties regarding livestock transportation of the Council of Europe:

References

1 2 3 4 Ausems, Egbert (2006). "The Council of Europe and animal welfare". Ethical Eye – Animal Welfare. Strasbourg: Council of Europe Publishing. p. 248–249. ISBN 9789287160164 . Retrieved 16 May 2021.
↑ "Details of Treaty No.123: European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals used for Experimental and other Scientific Purposes". coe.int. Council of Europe. 18 March 1986. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
↑ Algers, B. (2016). "Applied ethology in the EU: development of animal welfare standards and actions". Animals and us: 50 years and more of applied ethology. Wageningen: Wageningen Academic Publishers. p. 158–159. ISBN 9789086868285 . Retrieved 16 May 2021.
1 2 Lubelska-Sazanów, Małgorzata (2021). Animals as specific objects of obligations under Polish and German law. Göttingen: V&R unipress. p. 45. ISBN 9783737010443 . Retrieved 10 May 2021.
1 2 Bayne, Kathryn; Morris, Timothy H.; France, Malcolm P. (2010). "Legislation and oversight of the conduct of research using animals: a global overview". The UFAW Handbook on the Care and Management of Laboratory and Other Research Animals. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell / UFAW. p. 112–114. ISBN 9781444318784.
↑ "Chart of signatures and ratifications of Treaty 123: European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals used for Experimental and other Scientific Purposes". coe.int. Council of Europe. 18 March 1986. Retrieved 16 May 2021.

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[Ausems-1] 1 2 3 4 Ausems, Egbert (2006). "The Council of Europe and animal welfare". Ethical Eye – Animal Welfare. Strasbourg: Council of Europe Publishing. p. 248–249. ISBN 9789287160164 . Retrieved 16 May 2021.

[Details-2] "Details of Treaty No.123: European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals used for Experimental and other Scientific Purposes". coe.int. Council of Europe. 18 March 1986. Retrieved 16 May 2021.

[Algers-3] Algers, B. (2016). "Applied ethology in the EU: development of animal welfare standards and actions". Animals and us: 50 years and more of applied ethology. Wageningen: Wageningen Academic Publishers. p. 158–159. ISBN 9789086868285 . Retrieved 16 May 2021.

[Lubelska-4] 1 2 Lubelska-Sazanów, Małgorzata (2021). Animals as specific objects of obligations under Polish and German law. Göttingen: V&R unipress. p. 45. ISBN 9783737010443 . Retrieved 10 May 2021.

[Bayne-5] 1 2 Bayne, Kathryn; Morris, Timothy H.; France, Malcolm P. (2010). "Legislation and oversight of the conduct of research using animals: a global overview". The UFAW Handbook on the Care and Management of Laboratory and Other Research Animals. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell / UFAW. p. 112–114. ISBN 9781444318784.

[List_of_ratifications-6] "Chart of signatures and ratifications of Treaty 123: European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals used for Experimental and other Scientific Purposes". coe.int. Council of Europe. 18 March 1986. Retrieved 16 May 2021.

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v t e Animal testing
Main articles	Alternatives to animal testing Animal testing on invertebrates Animal testing on frogs Animal testing on non-human primates Animal testing on rabbits Animal testing on rodents Animal testing regulations Experimentation on prisoners History of animal testing History of model organisms IACUC Laboratory animal sources Pain and suffering in laboratory animals Testing cosmetics on animals Three Rs Toxicology testing
Testing on	Frogs Invertebrates Primates Rabbits Rodents Syrian hamsters
Issues	Animal rights Animal welfare Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act Biomedical Research Great ape research ban International trade in primates Laboratory animal allergy Pain and suffering in laboratory animals
Controversial experiments	Britches Brown Dog affair Cambridge University primates Pit of despair Silver Spring monkeys Unnecessary Fuss
Companies	Charles River Laboratories, Inc. Covance Harlan Huntingdon Life Sciences Laboratory animal suppliers in the United Kingdom Nafovanny Shamrock
Groups and campaigns	Anti-Vivisection Coalition Americans for Medical Progress AAAS AALAS ALF Boyd Group BUAV Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing Dr Hadwen Trust PETA ALF Foundation For Biomedical Research National Anti-Vivisection Society New England Anti-Vivisection Society Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine Primate Freedom Project Pro-Test SHAC SPEAK Speaking of Research Stop Sequani Animal Testing Research Defence Society Understanding Animal Research
Writers and activists	Colin Blakemore Carl Cohen Gill Langley Ingrid Newkirk Neal Barnard Jerry Vlasak Simon Festing Tipu Aziz
Legislation	Animal testing regulations Animal Experimentation Convention 1986 (Council of Europe) Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (UK) Animal Welfare Act 1999 (NZ) Animal Welfare Act of 1966 (US) Directive 2010/63/EU (EU)