RFK Jr Speaks Out Against Animal Testing, Says Alternatives Are 'Better' And 'More Efficient'

Robert F Kennedy Jr has said that he is working to wind down animal testing.

US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Junior, known as RFK Jr, revealed that he and all the heads of department agencies are “committed” to ending animal testing. He also described animal-free alternatives as “better” and “more efficient.”

RFK Jr has led the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for nearly 12 months as part of President Donald Trump’s second administration.

In a December interview with Lana Trump for Fox News, RFK Jr said, “I’ve been a welfare advocate my whole life, and we have this unusual confluence right now at HHS where all the major sub-agency heads are all deeply committed to ending animal experimentation.”

He described the “productivity” of animal testing models as “very, very poor” for “human health outcomes,” and described animal-free models – such as computational modeling and AI – as “much more efficient” options.

‘Now we’re developing sanctuaries across the country’

RFK Jr said that there are approximately 100,000 primates in animal testing labs across the US, and that “another 20,000” are imported every year.

“We’re very concerned about that,” he said. Furthermore, The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is set to allow researchers to use funding to retire primates to sanctuaries.

RFK Jr was interviewed alongside US Attorney General Pam Bondi and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. As part of the administration’s ongoing work to promote animal welfare, Rollins noted that the USDA is also working to end puppy mills in the US, while Bondi said that she will be forming a “strike force” and working with other agencies to “stop animal cruelty” nationwide.

Serious commitment to non-animal research is ‘long overdue’

Photo shows someone wearing blue medical gloves in a laboratory setting using a computer — Adobe Stock The UK is also moving away from animal testing in favor of computer models and AI-powered data analysis

The Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine (PCRM) “applauded” the proposed transition away from animal testing in the US and proposed five next steps.

They include: Halting all importation of non-human primates into the US for experimentation; cancelling all funding to the seven National Primate Research Centers and transforming those facilities into sanctuaries for former lab animals; investing further in non-animal testing methods, in addition to training and education for researchers and scientists; halting the funding of all animal experiments outside of the US; and stopping all funding for experiments on dogs in the US.

“A serious commitment to human-based research methods is long overdue at HHS,” said Janine McCarthy, MPH, acting director of research policy at PCRM. “We hope Secretary Kennedy will follow through on this, and we are eager to work with him.”