Animal testing to be reconsidered by Parliament

Benji the beagle at the Greens' delivery of their anti-testing petition at Parliament. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Parliament will reconsider testing recreational drugs on dogs and rats as part of animal welfare reforms debated in the House today.

MPs backed the Animal Welfare Amendment Bill at its first reading this morning, and also agreed that a select committee should consider a Labour amendment to rule out experiments on animals to prove the safety of legal highs.

It was the second attempt by the Opposition to prevent drug-makers from testing recreational drugs on animals.

Parliament last month voted against an amendment to the Psychoactive Substances Bill which would have ruled out the use of dogs and rats as part of a new legal highs testing regime.

That bill allowed drug makers to use animal testing, but only if there were no alternatives.

Labour MP Trevor Mallard said Parliament had effectively state-sponsored cruelty to animals. He said it was immoral for animals to suffer and die "so people can get high".

His amendment to the animal welfare legislation had prompted a significant response. More than 5000 supporters flooded Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy's inbox with emails in the last two days.

The Animal Welfare Amendment Bill allowed minimum standards of welfare to be enforced and gave Government power to set mandatory standards for exporting live animals.