Assessment principles
a) the technical and scientific relevance of the project in relation to the bioethical implications;b) the correct application of the law;c) the obligations arising from the European and international regulations or from the official pharmacopoeia for development and safety of drugs and toxicological testing related to chemicals and natural substances;d) that the animal housing takes into account the physiological and ethological needs of the species involved, providing environmental enrichment necessary, in consideration of time spent in the structures and in life expectancy;e) adequate training and appropriateness of the professional roles of the staff performing the testing.
Article 4 of Legislative Decree 116/92 provides that the head of the research project that uses animal testing proves that:
- there are no alternative methods;
- minimum number of animals will be used;
- the species with lower neurological development will be used;
- the experimental procedures that cause less pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm will be used.
With regard to alternative methods visit ECVAM site (http://ihcp.jrc.ec.europa.eu/our_labs/eurl-ecvam).