Cruel Mouse Test to Be Ended in European Union

January 2011

PETA pressure and campaigning have led the European Union (E.U.) to abandon a cruel test on mice that is used to determine whether shellfish intended for human consumption are contaminated with dangerous toxins. In these tests, mice are routinely injected with extracts of shellfish. The physical experience of the injection has been compared to injecting a human being in the abdomen with six liters of vinegar, and the toxins themselves can cause paralysis and severe pain. Now, following PETA’s efforts, the E.U. is mandating that a humane and more effective non-animal test be used for shellfish toxicity instead, saving approximately 300,000 mice a year!