On 14–16 December, the agriculture ministers will discuss a proposal for a new directive on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes. The proposal aims to both harmonise legislation, i.e. to coordinate legislation in the Member States, and strengthen protection for experimental animals.

The proposal has been discussed intensively during both the Czech and the Swedish Presidencies. This autumn, Lena Odlund has been leading the work as Chair of the Working Party on Animal Welfare.

What does this proposal mean in concrete terms?
The new directive that will be the subject of a status report at the Council meeting will mean a revision of the directive from 1986. The old directive is definitely in need of updating. The proposal will mean that animals used for scientific purposes – experimental animals – are given greater protection. For instance, a requirement to ethically assess every test and binding provisions on how animals are to be kept and looked after will be introduced. In addition, training and skills requirements for staff working with experimental animals will be introduced under the proposal.

How would you say the work has progressed this autumn?
When the Swedish Presidency took over the issue we had a good basis for drawing up a compromise proposal. The directive must be adopted by co-decision with the European Parliament, which means that the Council has to be in agreement with the Parliament on the proposal. During the autumn, therefore, we have been working intensively in the Council Working Party and we have also held a number of informal trialogue discussions with the Parliament and the Commission. The objective has always been to reach complete agreement with the Parliament, and now we are very close to this.

The work has been intensive, and we’ve spent 60 working days in Brussels – an exciting and interesting process. We have been working on the issue in a team with representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Swedish Board of Agriculture. It has been extremely valuable working together like that.

What has been the biggest challenge?
The biggest challenge has probably been working in parallel in the Parliament and in the Council. This is a new way of working for me.

What will happen to the issue at the December Council?
At the December Council the Minister for Agriculture will submit a status report on the issue. When the Lisbon Treaty entered into force on 1 December, some of the conditions for tidying up all the loose ends of the directive in time changed. This is why it won’t be possible to make a decision now. Instead a decision will be taken during the Spanish Presidency in the spring. We have managed to come a long way in the process, and that is a major success.