OUGD505: EUROPEAN UNION REFERENCE LABORATORY

The European Union Reference Laboratory for alternatives to animal testing was formally established in 2011, this was down to the increasing need and demand for new methods to be developed and proposed for validation in the EU.

It has a long tradition in the validation of methods which reduce, refine or replace the use of animals in testing of chemicals, biologicals and vaccines. Research labs have the opportunity to submit to the EURL ECVAM for scientific validation in alternate methods to animal testing.

"The European Commission's involvement in activities targeted to the validation of alternative approaches to animal testing started in 1991, with the launch of ECVAM (the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods), hosted by the Joint Research Centre. As from 2011, ECVAM's tasks are assigned to EURL ECVAM."