Lobby groups want to see dedicated funding to back the ambitious EU roadmap for phasing out chemical safety testing with animals
Photo credits: Dmitriy Ignatenko / Unsplash
The European Commission is moving ahead with plans to gradually replace animal testing in chemical safety assessments, but lobby groups are concerned that insufficient funding has been set aside to back up the strategy.
“The roadmap lacks dedicated funding streams, which is a significant gap,” said Kirk Leech, executive director of the European Animal Research Association, an advocacy group for the biomedical sector. “Developing, validating and achieving regulatory acceptance for new approach methodologies (NAMs) is expensive and time-consuming,” he told Science|Business.
This concern is shared across the aisle. “We agree that secure, consistent funding is critically important,” said Emma Grange, director of science and regulatory affairs at Cruelty Free International, which campaigns for an abolition of animal testing. “Unfortunately, we don’t expect to see a specifically ringfenced budget for…
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