Volkswagen has announced that it will stop using animals in testing the effects of its diesel vehicles.
The New York Times reports that the German automaker made the pledge in a letter addressed to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
The pledge comes amidst the fallout of revelations that Volkswagen and other German car manufactures had financed research on the effects of its diesel vehicles on 10 macaque monkeys locked in airtight chambers.
“Research projects and studies must always be balanced with consideration of ethical and moral questions,” VW chief executive Herbert Diess said in the letter.
“Volkswagen explicitly distances itself from all forms of animal abuse. In the future, we will rule out all testing on animals, as long as there are no pressing — such as legal — reasons that would make this necessary.”
Diess also revealed that the company would apply this new standard to its code of conduct that applies to all of its other brands.
PETA welcomed the change and called on other car manufacturers to follow VW’s lead.
“Volkswagen did the right thing in pledging to no longer conduct tests on animals, which are irrelevant to human health and not required by law. PETA is calling on other carmakers that still test on animals to follow suit and embrace modern and humane, animal-free research methods instead.”