Animal testing policy
Our studies in the fields of health, food, defence, consumer safety, safety at work and environmental issues cannot always exclude the need for animal testing. This is partly as a result of legislation and partly because no viable alternatives exist. In the context of corporate social responsibility TNO has drafted a conscientious testing policy.
The principles of TNO’s animal testing policy are:
- TNO only carries out tests on animals if this is prescribed by law and if there are no reliable alternatives available;
- TNO makes an active contribution to the development and application of alternatives to animal testing (the three R’s: Refine, Reduce, Replace);
- TNO adheres strictly to the legal regulations and requirements.
TNO attaches considerable importance to the intrinsic value of test animals. Ethical control is central to all experiments and proper treatment of the animal is a priority. TNO is also an active participant in the social debate on the use of animal testing. Given its leading position in many fields of research, TNO remains fully informed of developments in the field of animal testing that can reduce the number of animals used or contribute to improving their living conditions; TNO is dedicated to applying these developments in its own proceedings.
