EU dismisses REACH animal-testing complaint

ERJ staff report (PR)

Helsinki - The EU Ombudsman has cleared the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) of any wrongdoing with regard to a complaint brought against it by the European Coalition to End Animal Experiments.

The NGO had complained that Helsinki-based ECHA was misinterpreting a factsheet it had published regarding how companies register substances under REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals).

As a consequence, the coalition argued, registrants were undertaking more testing involving animals than was otherwise necessary.

The Ombudsman, however, concluded that the factsheet was clear and provided appropriate guidance for registrants considering testing beyond the minimum requirements of REACH regulations, ECHA said 1 July.