BRUSSELS—Humane World for Animals (formerly called Humane Society International) welcomes the release of the EU Commission’s ”Roadmap towards phasing out animal testing”. The roadmap’s release acknowledges both scientific progress and public support for an accelerated transition from animal testing to animal-free science based on human biology, in the form of a European Citizens’ Initiative that attracted more than 1.2 million supporters across Europe.
“The publication of this roadmap is a concrete advancement on the road to animal-free testing,” says Giorgia Pallocca, senior program director, regulatory science, at Humane World for Animals. “While Humane World for Animals welcomes this commitment, the true test will be implementation. Meaningful progress will depend on the achievement of clear and measurable milestones, sustained investment in animal-free science, regulatory alignment, and strong collaboration among lawmakers, regulators, scientists, industry, and animal protection advocates.”
Kate Willett, interim vice president, research and testing, at Humane World for Animals, adds: “Millions of animals continue to be used in testing and research each year across Europe. Accelerating the development, acceptance, and uptake of non-animal methods remains essential to achieving the ambitious goals outlined in the roadmap. Humane World for Animals looks forward to working with all interested parties to ensure the roadmap delivers tangible outcomes for animals, humans and the environment. We also look forward to the publication of a parallel roadmap for phasing out animal use in research.”
While the full revision of the EU chemical regulations framework known as REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals) has been postponed, Humane World for Animals remains committed to supporting the process of translating legal change through annex revisions, collaboration, and the implementation of evidence-based policies and solutions.
Humane World for Animals works around the globe to replace cruel, outdated animal experiments with innovative methods that don’t use animals. Our teams in Australia, Brazil, Canada, the European Union, India, South Africa, South Korea, the United States and other key economies help change laws, regulations and scientific practices to end testing and research on animals and promote the development, acceptance and use of advanced non-animal methods. Humane World for Animals leads the Animal-Free Safety Assessment Collaboration as well as the Biomedical Research for the 21st Century Collaboration, multi-sector, multi-country partnerships advancing animal-free science as the gold standard.
Notes to editors:
- The roadmap adopts a phased and prioritized implementation strategy with a vision for a future safety assessment system built on non-animal methodologies and evidence and aligned across regulatory sectors.
- The roadmap identifies short-term actions for both human health and environmental safety assessment in which replacement strategies are already sufficiently mature for implementation. To ensure effective implementation in regulatory decision-making, and to avoid unnecessary animal testing, Humane World for Animals is advocating for specific regulation updates that reflect the best current science and explicitly recognize non-animal approaches.
- By the end of 2026, the Commission will establish f measurable indicators to monitor progress on the roadmap's implementation, as well as a public dashboard with reports on the status of actions.
