Governments use test data to assess the safety of products in order to protect human health and/or the environment. The assessment results can determine whether to license a product for use, and the restrictions of that use.

The OECD established harmonised international Principles of Good Laboratory Practice with the following aims:

• To promote the development of comparable quality test data which forms the basis for mutual acceptance of data among countries
• To promote the development of reliable test data avoiding repeat testing in individual countries thereby saving time and resources, and reducing the number of animals used in tests

Different schemes of implementation could impede trade. Harmonisation of Good Laboratory Practice should help avoid the creation of technical barriers to trade because results can be confidently accepted by other countries. The application of these principles should further improve the protection of human health and the environment.