Breaking news: Brazil will no longer require one-year pesticide test on dogs; reforms will save animal lives in the country and in the U.S.
Millie, pictured above, was one of more than 30 dogs at a Michigan laboratory who were undergoing a one-year test for a pesticide for sale in Brazil. Following an HSUS undercover investigation, the dogs, including Millie, were released and have since found forever homes. Photo by Kendra Stanley-Mills/AP Images for the HSUS
Brazil this week announced sweeping changes to its requirements for animal testing of agricultural pesticides, including eliminating the requirement for a controversial one-year toxicity test conducted on dogs. The move will potentially spare the lives of tens of thousands of animals used each year for pesticide testing, and it is of special significance to animal lovers in the United States because the one-year poisoning test on dogs was sometimes conducted on U.S. soil for companies seeking to sell their products in other countries.
The news also carries special importance for us at Humane Society International because of our decade-long effort to abolish the one-year dog test from pesticide regulations globally. Years of negotiations between HSI scientists, pesticide companies and government regulators have seen this scientifically needless test taken off the books in the European Union, India, Canada, Japan and South Korea. Brazil, too, was poised to abandon it, but the process became mired in bureaucracy. Last year, a Humane Society of the United States undercover investigation at a Michigan laboratory found more than 30 beagles undergoing the one-year test for a pesticide for sale in Brazil. The company that commissioned the test defended it on the grounds that it was still officially required by Brazil. HSI worked to secure a waiver that ultimately led to the release of the beagles, who were placed for adoption and are now happily ensconced in their forever homes.
Brazil has moved to recognize modern animal testing alternatives, and create a process by which companies can request that scientifically unnecessary animal test requirements be waived. The new process replaces a nearly 30-year-old testing ordinance from 1992.
The change is the result of an ongoing dialogue between HSI and the Brazilian health regulatory authority, ANVISA. We began these negotiations around pesticide reform in 2013, hosting a regulatory science workshop, a webinar and high-level meetings with agency scientists and executive leadership. Because of the lengthy delays in publishing the new regulation, in 2017 we launched the campaign #AnvisaPoupeVidas to push the Brazilian government to action, and collected more than 160,000 signatures from local residents. The issue also gained the support of local celebrities, like Brazilian supermodel Fernanda Tavares, who acted as a spokesperson for the campaign.
Pesticides are among the most heavily animal-tested substances in existence. As many as 10,000 animals, including rodents, fish, birds, rabbits and dogs, can suffer and die for the testing of a single new pesticide “active ingredient.” Many of these tests are completely redundant.
The one-year dog toxicity test consists of force-feeding groups of beagle dogs a pesticide chemical every day for an entire year, after which the animals are killed and dissected to examine the chemical’s effects on their internal organs. This is what was happening to the dogs at the Michigan lab before the HSUS and HSI worked in tandem to end the testing and secure the animals’ freedom.
We congratulate Brazil for taking this important step to end these pesticide tests. The HSUS and HSI are working in the United States and around the globe with companies and government authorities to replace outdated pesticide testing requirements, and this victory gives us a much-needed shot in the arm as we continue to root out these practices everywhere they exist.
Such good news from so much dedicated work. And it will lead the way to other changes that eliminate outdated research techniques and increase use of non-animal methods that yield more accurate results.
Hello Sally, hello everyone,
it is a big step forward – it is unbelievable such cruel practices are still allowed in labs all over the world! Thank you for your effort and let’s keep it up so no being should have to suffer! Ingrid
Thank You, HSUS
Dit moet allemaal stoppen dieren zijn van alles de dupe. De eerlijkste wezens op deze planeet die er bestaat. Mensen zijn de ergste wezens op deze planeet. De geene die dieren mishandelen hun straf kom nog. Dieren rechten moet er komen over heel de wereld met vriendelijke groeten bientje
Muchas gracias por vuestra labor humansesociety.org,de verdad gracias !!!!
Fab news Keep up the great work. Together we can spare these animals pain and suffering.
Fantastic news, so pleased what a great job everyone does, should be so proud of you yourselves. Thank you all.
Vielen Dank dafür, dass HSUS sich für diese wichtige Veränderung der Gesätze
erfolgreich eingesetzt hat. Es wird hoffentlich auch für andere Bereiche zukunftweisend sein.
Way to go Brazil and everyone who helped to make this possible. We need to stop all animal testing worldwide!
Well done!
So appreciate everything you do HSUS.
You give the innocent a voice and hope.
Thankyou
Fantastic news well done !!!! 😊 so nice to hear some.good news about dogs instead of all of the evil and cruel things that appear to be happening all over the world it is so sad that people treat animals in such cruel ways it has to STOP
Beautiful! Thank God!
I’m eternally grateful that people like HSI (etc), have the fortitude and dedication to protect innocent animals that I feel I don’t have the stomach to do. God bless you and your work and long may organisations like yours prosper X
So happy to hear. Slowly animals all over the world are being helped by the Humane Society. Keep up the great work.
I am so happy to know that this time we won! So happy for the animals that won have to suffer because of us.
Thank you!
THIS, I AM SORRY TOSAY, HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH “LOVE OF ANIMALS” AND EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THE RELEXATION OF ALL ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS IN BRAZIL!
maybe people like you can’t see that two things can’t possibly be related. we can save helpless, loving animals from cruel and unnecessary experiments and still find ways to protect the environment . God did not put animals on this earth for us to torture and exterminate but to love and protect.anyone who thinks otherwise is no Christian and maybe should volunteer for some of these experiments themselves!!!!!
C’est innadmissible que des pays civilisés agissent de cette façon envers les animaux c’est honteux que on fasse se tests sur les pédophilies et sur les assassins
Thank you for help animals
Thank you this is so mean how can you watch them suffer and die it’s so wrong stop
Testing on all animals dogs are out pets
Especially but I hate all animal
Testing
AWESOME NEWS, BRAZIL!!
GREAT!!!
A true Dog lover is a true God lover…
Thanks to the amazing people constantly fighting for these kind of changes, lots of other countries HAVE to follow!!! Bless all the amazing animals that suffer so much for these ridiculous and outdated testing methods…
Thank you. This must not be ever done again. Very wicked and unnecessary. Rea11y crue1. A person who does this is not a human being.
Great News and GREAT WORK HSI and HSUS!. I wonder how many of those who conducted the horrible tests on these helpless dogs in the labs, would force feed their own home pets the pesticides!. No animal should endure such cruelty!
Thanks to all the people involved! Years of effort.
It’s a wonderful thing you’re doing but now let’s turn the table a bit one you’re All animals are nonhuman sentiments capable of feeling pain and suffering. All beings deserve the same compassion and respect. as one another.
Thank you
Thank yu for safe beagles good amen HSUS no more test bragle dogs
I am very happy to learn, that we never take this animals for tasting the this product. Bravo to HUSS 🐕
Thank you to everyone involved in saving these poor animals
Very good news! Thankfully!!!!
Testing on animals needs to STOP !!!!
JUST BARBARIC
Congratulations HSUS! I am from Brazil and I remember about the beagle situation in 2013. Thank you HSUS for all your effort to save the dogs life.
Thank goodness these barbaric tests have been halted. Thank you to all those involved in stopping them.
So uplifting to read some good news. So encouraging too, to know that there are influencial people out there who really care.
Well done HSUS brilliant work
🐸Thank you HSUS👍👍👍🌹💐🌷⚘🌺🌹💐🌷⚘🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
At least Brazil’s leaders have common sense and compassion. Shame the USA can’t say as much.
Such good news for all these dogs who were undergoing these tests. Great job HSI and HSUS. Thank you!
It’s about time more needs to be done abuse is no joke
Thank You HSUS ! There will be so many happy Beagles now along with happy new owners ! This Testing Must come to an end once and for all !
One day, animal testing will be regarded as barbaric as slavery. Thank you, HSI, for spreading this good news.
Un gran avance, se deben adherir otros países. Es una muestra de que merecen nuestro respeto.
Thank the Lord!!! Finally some international relief for our beloved dogs😇😇😇
Thank you so much for all you do, especially the Beagles 😍
Well Done! Moving forward..
That’s brilliant! At long last, a wee shimmer of hope for so many poor animals. Kudos to you, HSUS, all the animals are cheering you on from the sidelines, as well as from inside the cages of torment. Well done, you!! 💕
What amazing news. Thank you for the dedication and care you have shown in rescuing these beautiful animals. Animal cruelty is happening everywhere, without the help of your society and other companies that do such fantastic work this inhumane, cruel unnecessary pain and suffering would continue. Well done!!!
Great news! God Bless the HSUS for all their dedicated work, love and compassion.
It’s about time they should leave all animals alone people hurt people not animals leave the animals alone
je suis vraiment contente qu’une signature et 1 petit don face avancer les choses
Rechazo, al maltrato animal
Well done everyone. Thank you HSUS and HSI as well as ANVISA.
Thank you this is good news- to Brazilian model Fernanda Tavares, who acted as a spokesperson for the campaign bless you and to all who made this possible – let us make it happen again elsewhere over and over again .
finally! humans acting like humans… These tests have been cruel and unnecessary for as long as I can remember.
What a relief! Congratulations on ending this dreadful practice.
Enfin une bonne nouvelle c est pas malheureux. Il était temps car sa suffit la soufrance animale stop
Great news! Thank you!
NEED MORE COUNTRIES LIKE THIS
Brilliant news, thank you.❤️
Good news, all credit to Brazil. Well done HSI, I thank you for all your work
Thank You, infinite gratitude for your work and commitment, for this major breakthrough and all your campaigns. Things are beginning to shift slowly but surely. In total support, again thank you.
What GREAT news! Congratulations on a job well done! May all future endeavors be as successful. Thank you HSUS!
We do hope that they will work for better life of all of us – homo sapiens sapiens and our closest friends – dogs.
We are together about 30.000 years -men and dogs. And we are murderers. Stop it! Save and help our Planet and Nature and our best friends – dogs.
So glad to know that! Wish all companies around the world stopped using animals!
That is great news. It is uplifting to read a good news story about animals amid all the cruelty the we see daily. Well done HSI
Thank you for caring and sparing these innocent dogs from horrific torture
mi opinion es que para estar seguros que efectos tiene en el ser humano se pruebe en los condenados a cadena perpetua asi si el efecto es mortal lo sabremos de inmediato y de paso nos ahorramos el mantenimiento de un delincuente
Thank God, these tests were absolutely unnecessary. I cried when I first learned about this , and feel such a relief that these 30 dogs have forever homes, and will have a happy life.
Thank you for saving these beautiful dogs. God bless you all!
Good news!!
Thank you so much for all the work you do. Now, I can sleep at night knowing we aren’t doing unnecessary and cruel tests in animals who have no say in their rights!! This is why I donate to your organization and my company matches me too!!
LOVE&PEACE
What wonderful news to hear after all of the horrible things that go o n everyday with the poor animals Thank You!
Thank you so much for taking the initiative. You people are doing a great job. Animals have the right to live too, that too peacefully. Thankyou again from India.
Dnankuou for saving thousands of animals from this horrible pratice which was a waste of money and time as well as torture for many animals.
Many many thanks for your effort to end such unacceptable practice. In relation to pesticides, Brazil uses on agriculture an immense amount of those poisons, many of them banished on the US and EU, that nevertheless continue to produce them to sell to Brazil and other underdeveloped countries. This year alone Brazilian government approved imports of about 170 new pesticides containing many of those active ingredients banished on the US and EU, whose citizens may end up eating imported food that contains them. A country that banishes the use of agriculture pesticides for the good of their own population, but produces and sells them to be used on the crops of third world countries that feeds their populations – thanks to unwise and/or bribed high rank officials in charge who buy them – is commiting a crime. All those first world companies and all people involved in this henious, despictable crime must be sued in international tribunes for crimes against humanity.
Thank you very much save life of dogs lm a dog lover so pleased
Thank you so very much for stopping this abuse and suffering 👍
Another little but incredibly important step in human’s acceptance that animals have a right to share this planet with us. Thank you Brazil, you are another star in our sky of hope.
Se é verdade o que fazem, só posso dizer que o Brasil é um país do terceiro mundo
Thank you 🙏 HSUS
Redundant testing and archaic procedures are not necessary with the advancement of modern testing procedures and methods available .
Animals need to be in the wild if feral or adopted into homes and kept as campanions , Man’s Best friend status!
Harmful pesticides can be tested other ways and as it seems by this article many of the testing is redundant and shows a lack of empathy , thoughlessness, and harm to animal populations and a discredit to the Humane race.
I am glad to hear that these Beagles have been released from their servitude and that Brasil has vetoed this archaic and no longer needed practice of this year long testing of the pesticide.
What good news!! Bravo Brazil for being so compasionate towards animals. May many countries follow suit. Also many thanks to HSI for your great continuous efforts, care and love for the animals that are suffering.
Thank You Brazil for saving the dogs. & Thank You HSUS for
getting this Petition going.
SAVE ALL ANIMALS FROM
♡♡ CRUELTY♡♡
These tests should never be done on animals. No animal testing should be done period!!
Keep pushing on, YOU all are Fantastic Souls!
I can’t tell you how happy & relieved we, as a family, all are, to receive this positive news from Brazil.
Well done & congratulations to everyone concerned.
All those who’ve promoted & encouraged this wonderful outcome in the pursuit of more humane & caring ways of protecting(!) us ‘humans’; at the expense of equally sentient & sensitive animals; deserve special thanks & recognition……….
THANK YOU SOoo much……..
Congratulations! NETXT STOP GERMANY
https://www.dw.com/en/germany-sees-spike-in-experiments-on-monkeys/a-46812786
Thank you!
Bonjour, j`accueille cette merveilleuse nouvelle avec beaucoup
de joie et d`émotion! Merci à vous tous HSUS pour votre déter-
mination et votre travail acharné qui ont donné la liberté à ces
animaux sans défense et sans voix! Bravo et merci.
So Pleased, for what you have achieved. The protection of innocent animals!
Thank you for doing this.
Thank you for sharing good news! Your work is so critical, you are truly making a difference.
Thank you for ending the testing on Beagles. How cruel it was for the dogs kept in captivity and used as testing animals. I hope that all the dogs will find good homes and finally live happy lives. I wish all hospitals will eliminate research with dogs and other animals and use other methods of testing.
It’s ABOUT TIME HIP HIP HOORAY FINALLY BEING A VOICE FOR THOSE WHO CANT SPEAK BLESS YOU ALL FOR STANDING UP FOR PRECIOUS BEAGLES N OTHER OF GODS CREATIONS
It’s good to hear that your messages were taken seriously and thru continued pressure and communication this is a huge success in a positive way to all animals that were subject to these bad experiments.
Monsanto did this to test glyphosate (Roundup) – I think it was a 2 year test and the dogs were not rehomed. Is Monsanto still doing this to test other pesticides?
NO to Animal testing! They do not deserve such means of torture with long term side effects.
Stopp
Fantastic news, hopefully all countries will follow the same, I pray for all our animal friends every day that there will be no more cruelty and suffering
Excellent I wish the whole world would get on board and stop the suffering everywhere.
FANTASTIC..
You all are definitely the animal angels. Thanks for all you do!!!
Obrigada Peta 🐕!
Obrigada Brasil 🐶l