Jump to site navigation [j]

Legislation

UK and European Legislation

This page provides links to reference material relevant to the use of animals in scientific procedures.

UK legislation

  • Codes of Practice
    Download codes of practice relating to care and housing of laboratory animals, including breeding and humane killing.  

 

European legislation

Background

European Directive 86/609/EEC
Council Directive 86/609/EEC makes provision for the protection of animals used for experimental or other scientific purposes. It is transposed into United Kingdom law by the Animals (Scientific procedures) Act 1986.

At the 19th meeting of National Competent Authorities on 29 November 2001, the European Commission announced that it intended to review and revise Directive 86/609/EEC. The Proposals for the Revision of Directive 86/609/EEC have now been published.

This is now being considered, under the European co-decision procedure, by the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament.

Initial work in the European Parliament (EP) has been taken forward by the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee (Agri). The rapporteur is the chair of the committee, Neil Parish, UK MEP for the South West of England and Gibraltar. Two other committees – Environment, Public Health and Food Safety and Industry, Research and Energy – have also considered the proposal.

Debate in the House of Commons

In the UK, the House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee debated the Commission’s proposal on 3 February.

Meg Hillier, Home Office Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, opened the debate for the government and answered questions from members on the government’s approach to negotiation of the proposed directive. The proposal was also discussed in an adjournment debate on 24 February.  Visit the Parliament UK website to read the Adjournment debate (new window) and the  Scrutiny Committee (new window) debate.

Sub-Committee D of the House of Lords EU Scrutiny Committee has now taken oral evidence from a number of witnesses as part of its inquiry into the proposed new directive and published its emerging conclusions on 20 July. These can be found at:
http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/lords_press_notices/pn200709eud.cfm

Negotiation of the directive

The Commission published its proposal for a new directive to replace Directive 86/609/EEC in November 2008.

 

The European Parliament adopted its first reading report in May 2009. This sought to strike a balance between the need to protect animals and the interests of the research community.

 

The Swedish Presidency hopes to agree a Council first reading position at the 14/15 December Agriculture Council to pave the way for agreement of a revised directive at second reading in 2010.

 

Through the Council working party, Sweden has been building greater flexibility into the draft text to reduce its impact on costs and bureaucracy and has also abandoned some of the more prescriptive requirements in the Commission proposal. Although a significant amount of detailed drafting remains to be done, the framework envisaged by Sweden appears to be workable and would allow the UK to maintain or improve current standards of welfare and animal protection.

 

In the House of Lords, Lord Brett, acting for the Home Office, gave oral evidence to the Scrutiny Committee on 14 October. The Committee’s final report is due to be published in the week beginning 9 November.

 

See also

Internet links

(Links will open in a new window)

We are not responsible for the content of external websites.

Home Office websites