The author of the petition, André Lourenço e Silva, defends in the text sent to parliament that until it is possible to stop doing tests on animals, it is necessary to ensure that they suffer “as little as possible and as few as possible”.

The proposed structure would be “an independent regulatory body”, in addition to governmental structures with powers in this matter.

“This National Council for Animal Experimentation should work with the Assembly of the Republic, but also providing support and resolving ethical conflicts with researchers who use animals in their projects”, reads the document, published on the Assembly of the Republic's website.

The Party People Nature Animals (PAN) presents a bill to amend the 2013 decree-law and reinforce the rules of protection and animal welfare in scientific research.

The PAN cites a European directive to defend that countries have an obligation to seek “alternative approaches” to the use of animals for scientific purposes and states that there are no Portuguese reports available in the space created by the European Union to share information on this issue.

"The absence of these data and reports nationwide on the EU website is contrary to the requirement of transparency and disclosure that member states are obliged to", says the party in its draft diploma.

The PAN claims that Portugal is incurring a “serious breach” in this matter and that there are no guarantees of compliance with animal welfare conditions.

If approved, the PAN proposal would enter into force with the State Budget subsequent to its approval.

The party also brings to the plenary a draft resolution in this area.

The Bloco de Esquerda accompanies this discussion with a draft resolution for the Assembly of the Republic to recommend to the government that animal protection associations be included in the composition of the National Commission for the Protection of Animals Used for Scientific Purposes and to provide the General Directorate of Food and Veterinary (DGAV) of inspection means that can ensure compliance with the legislation in force.

The PCP wants the adoption of concrete and immediate measures regarding the use of animals in scientific research.

The party presents data from the DGAV, according to which in 2016 and 2017 the number of staff used for scientific purposes increased again, reaching 31,712 and 52,983, respectively.

The communists propose to survey the needs of material and human resources of the DGAV and to register an amount in the State Budget for the creation of a research programme aimed at developing alternatives to the use of animals.