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We have until 2018 to save up to 54 million animals from being poisoned and killed.
Up to 54 million animals will be poisoned, some to death, in the EU between now and 2018 to assess the safety of chemicals for humans.
The European chemical testing programme, REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical substances), aims to establish whether an estimated 30,000 or more chemicals on the market are safe for humans and the environment, and to control the use of those judged to present a risk.
The experiments used to assess the safety of chemicals are called toxicity tests, which traditionally involve the poisoning of guinea pigs, rabbits, fish, birds, rats and mice.
The ECEAE is working hard to ensure the number of tests carried out is minimised. Thanks to years of intense lobbying, we have already been successful in campaigning for some life saving amendments to the REACH legislation, saving potentially millions of animals from suffering and death in a laboratory. That is a real achievement.
We are now working to improve the implementation of REACH through our role as an observer at the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), and by scrutinising test proposals to identify how cruel animal experiments can be avoided.
You can help! We need to save as many animals as possible from being poisoned and killed for chemicals testing. Please act now before it's too late.