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Standard year-long
experiments which used beagles as test subjects to determine the toxicity of
various pesticides were officially put to an end last month in Japan.
For each
experiment, up to 32 dogs were given pesticide-contaminated food for a year,
before being killed so their internal organs could be examined to determine the
effects of exposure.
Ban
The
decision to end the cruel practice, announced March 30, was made by Japan’s
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries – on the grounds that the tests
were nearly pointless.
Japan’s
Food Safety Commission ordered a two-year study which ultimately determined
that the tests didn’t provide valuable information regarding the effects of
pesticides on humans.
Previous,
and similar, scientific findings lead to change of policy in United States, India,
Brazil, Canada, and the EU.
‘Made to
suffer’
VP of Humane
Society International Troy Seidle said that, despite the positive news, the
organization is ‘disappointed that it has taken some countries nearly 20 years
to take action despite compelling scientific evidence’.
He added: “It is
unacceptable that dogs have been made to suffer needlessly for two decades
simply because countries are dragging their feet.”
