Sign the petition today
As an EU citizen, you can make your voice heard and demand a faster transition to animal-free methods. Submit your call to action to the European Commission!
Make your voice heard and demand a faster transition to animal-free methods. Submit your call to action to the European Commission!
European Commission − take the step towards animal-free research
Across the EU, legislation still requires the use of animals in toxicity testing for pharmaceuticals. These experiments cause intense suffering and are routinely carried out on primates, beagles, minipigs, rabbits, fish, mice and rats.
New footage from laboratory workers reveals conditions that resemble torture: animals subjected to invasive toxicity tests day after day. Together, we urge the European Commission to take the next decisive step towards animal-free methods.
Laboratory workers have risked their jobs to sound the alarm and share footage from inside EU testing facilities. The footage shows animals enduring extremely painful procedures, often without pain relief. They struggle, attempt to flee and fight to break free – but are held down. Beagles are strapped down and forced to inhale chemicals, mini-pigs have test substances applied to fresh wounds on their backs, and monkeys are held down whilst a tube is inserted into their stomachs.
The footage includes scenes of:
Beagles strapped down and forced to inhale chemicals.
Mini-pigs having test substances applied directly onto fresh wounds deliberately cut into their backs.
Monkeys held down while long tubes are pushed down their throats to pump chemicals straight into their stomachs.
Why the tests are carried out
The animals are also forced to swallow substances or have chemicals applied to their skin – often in very high doses. The aim is to determine at what concentration a substance causes harm, illness or death.
These procedures are not rare incidents. They are required by law and form part of standard practice in the EU for the development of medicines, pesticides, industrial chemicals and food additives.
Inside these laboratories, animals live confined to cages and are subjected to procedures that can cause severe pain, lasting distress and, frequently, death. Those who survive the experiments are killed afterwards.
What you can do
Science is advancing. Modern, animal-free methods can provide more relevant data on the safety of substances and better protect people, animals and the environment. The European Commission has promised to deliver a roadmap for phasing out animal testing in chemical safety assessments by early 2026. This is a crucial opportunity, but it requires public pressure to ensure real and timely action.
As an EU citizen, you can make your voice heard and demand a faster transition to animal-free methods. Together, we can drive the transition to innovative and science-based testing methods that do not involve animals.
Add your voice today and urge the European Commission to take meaningful action towards ending animal testing.
Sign the petition today
Submit your call to action to the European Commission here