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I, c. 340.","full_text":"As used in this article, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Alternative test method” means a test method that (i) provides information of equivalent or better scientific quality and relevance than animal test methods, (ii) has been identified by a validation body and adopted by the relevant federal agency or program within an agency responsible for regulating the specific product or activity for which the test is being conducted, and (iii) does not use animals, or, when there is no test method available that does not use animals, uses the fewest animals possible and reduces the level of suffering or stress, to the greatest extent possible, of an animal used for testing. “Alternative test method” includes computational toxicology and bioinformatics, high-throughput screening methods, testing of categories of chemical substances, tiered testing methods, in vitro studies, and systems biology and new or revised methods.\n\t\t“Animal” means any live vertebrate nonhuman animal.\n\t\t“Animal test method” means a process or procedure that uses animals to obtain information on the characteristics of a chemical or agent or the biological effect of exposure to a chemical or agent under specified conditions.\n\t\t“Animal testing facility” means any facility, including a private entity, state agency, or institution of higher education, that confines and uses dogs or cats for research, education, testing, or other scientific or medical purposes.\n\t\t“Contract testing facility” means any partnership, corporation, association, or other legal relationship that tests chemicals, ingredients, product formulations, or products on behalf of another entity.\n\t\t“Manufacturer” means any partnership, corporation, association, or other legal entity that produces chemicals, ingredients, product formulations, or products.\n\t\t“Validation body” means an organization that seeks to facilitate development, validation, and regulatory acceptance of new and revised regulatory test methods that reduce, refine, or replace the use of animals in testing, such as the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods or other similar organizations.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":239868,"text":"As used in this article, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Alternative test method” means a test method that (i) provides information of equivalent or better scientific quality and relevance than animal test methods, (ii) has been identified by a validation body and adopted by the relevant federal agency or program within an agency responsible for regulating the specific product or activity for which the test is being conducted, and (iii) does not use animals, or, when there is no test method available that does not use animals, uses the fewest animals possible and reduces the level of suffering or stress, to the greatest extent possible, of an animal used for testing. “Alternative test method” includes computational toxicology and bioinformatics, high-throughput screening methods, testing of categories of chemical substances, tiered testing methods, in vitro studies, and systems biology and new or revised methods.\n\t\t“Animal” means any live vertebrate nonhuman animal.\n\t\t“Animal test method” means a process or procedure that uses animals to obtain information on the characteristics of a chemical or agent or the biological effect of exposure to a chemical or agent under specified conditions.\n\t\t“Animal testing facility” means any facility, including a private entity, state agency, or institution of higher education, that confines and uses dogs or cats for research, education, testing, or other scientific or medical purposes.\n\t\t“Contract testing facility” means any partnership, corporation, association, or other legal relationship that tests chemicals, ingredients, product formulations, or products on behalf of another entity.\n\t\t“Manufacturer” means any partnership, corporation, association, or other legal entity that produces chemicals, ingredients, product formulations, or products.\n\t\t“Validation body” means an organization that seeks to facilitate development, validation, and regulatory acceptance of new and revised regulatory test methods that reduce, refine, or replace the use of animals in testing, such as the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods or other similar organizations.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":16116,"edition_id":1,"name":"Animal Research","identifier":"13","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13170,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 04:06:25","date_modified":"2026-06-26 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available","url":"\/3.2-6592\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/13\/3.2-6592","metadata":false},{"id":86352,"structure_id":16116,"section_number":"3.2-6592.1","catch_line":"Breeding cats and dogs for experimental purposes","url":"\/3.2-6592.1\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/13\/3.2-6592.1","metadata":false},{"id":71226,"structure_id":16116,"section_number":"3.2-6593","catch_line":"Enforcement; civil action; penalty","url":"\/3.2-6593\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/13\/3.2-6593","metadata":false},{"id":76053,"structure_id":16116,"section_number":"3.2-6593.1","catch_line":"Animal testing facilities; adoption of dogs and cats","url":"\/3.2-6593.1\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/13\/3.2-6593.1","metadata":false},{"id":81761,"structure_id":16116,"section_number":"3.2-6593.2","catch_line":"Animal testing facilities; public notification","url":"\/3.2-6593.2\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/13\/3.2-6593.2","metadata":false},{"id":63698,"structure_id":16116,"section_number":"3.2-6593.3","catch_line":"Animal testing facilities operated 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This law was first created in 2018. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 672<\/a> of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":198563,"object_type":"law","relational_id":66013,"identifier":"3.2-6591","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/13\/3.2-6591","url":"\/3.2-6591\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/3.2-6591\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/13\/3.2-6591","dublin_core":{"Title":"Definitions","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 3.2-6591","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

As used in this article, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Alternative test method<\/span>” means a test method that (i) provides information of equivalent or better scientific quality and relevance than animal test methods<\/span>, (ii) has been identified by a validation body<\/span> and adopted by the relevant federal agency or program within an agency responsible for regulating the specific product or activity for which the test is being conducted, and (iii) does not use animals<\/span>, or, when there is no test method available that does not use animals<\/span>, uses the fewest animals<\/span> possible and reduces the level of suffering or stress, to the greatest extent possible, of an animal used for testing. “Alternative test method<\/span>” includes computational toxicology and bioinformatics, high-throughput screening methods, testing of categories of chemical substances, tiered testing methods, in vitro studies, and systems biology and new or revised methods.\n\t\t“Animal” means any live vertebrate nonhuman animal.\n\t\t“Animal test method<\/span>” means a process or procedure that uses animals<\/span> to obtain information on the characteristics of a chemical or agent or the biological effect of exposure to a chemical or agent under specified conditions.\n\t\t“Animal testing facility<\/span>” means any facility, including a private entity, state agency, or institution of higher education, that confines and uses dogs or cats for research, education, testing, or other scientific or medical purposes.\n\t\t“Contract testing facility<\/span>” means any partnership, corporation, association, or other legal relationship that tests chemicals, ingredients, product formulations, or products on behalf of another entity.\n\t\t“Manufacturer<\/span>” means any partnership, corporation, association, or other legal entity that produces chemicals, ingredients, product formulations, or products.\n\t\t“Validation body<\/span>” means an organization that seeks to facilitate development, validation, and regulatory acceptance of new and revised regulatory test methods that reduce, refine, or replace the use of animals<\/span> in testing, such as the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods or other similar organizations.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nDEFINITIONS (\u00a7 3.2-6591)\n\nAs used in this article, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Alternative test method” means a test method that (i) provides\ninformation of equivalent or better scientific quality and relevance than animal\ntest methods, (ii) has been identified by a validation body and adopted by the\nrelevant federal agency or program within an agency responsible for regulating\nthe specific product or activity for which the test is being conducted, and\n(iii) does not use animals, or, when there is no test method available that does\nnot use animals, uses the fewest animals possible and reduces the level of\nsuffering or stress, to the greatest extent possible, of an animal used for\ntesting. “Alternative test method” includes computational toxicology\nand bioinformatics, high-throughput screening methods, testing of categories of\nchemical substances, tiered testing methods, in vitro studies, and systems\nbiology and new or revised methods.\n\t\t“Animal” means any live vertebrate nonhuman animal.\n\t\t“Animal test method” means a process or procedure that uses\nanimals to obtain information on the characteristics of a chemical or agent or\nthe biological effect of exposure to a chemical or agent under specified\nconditions.\n\t\t“Animal testing facility” means any facility, including a private\nentity, state agency, or institution of higher education, that confines and uses\ndogs or cats for research, education, testing, or other scientific or medical\npurposes.\n\t\t“Contract testing facility” means any partnership, corporation,\nassociation, or other legal relationship that tests chemicals, ingredients,\nproduct formulations, or products on behalf of another entity.\n\t\t“Manufacturer” means any partnership, corporation, association, or\nother legal entity that produces chemicals, ingredients, product formulations,\nor products.\n\t\t“Validation body” means an organization that seeks to facilitate\ndevelopment, validation, and regulatory acceptance of new and revised regulatory\ntest methods that reduce, refine, or replace the use of animals in testing, such\nas the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative\nMethods or other similar organizations.\n\nHISTORY: 2018, c. 672; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 340.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}