Dr Hadwen Trust: House of Lords EU Committee today told 'EU needs new strategic vision to replace animals in scientific research.'

Wednesday, 1 July 2009 12:00 AM

The Dr Hadwen Trust for Humane Research, the UK's leading non-animal medical research charity, today presented oral evidence to the House of Lords EU Committee as part of its consultation with experts on the European Commission's proposal to revise the European Directive on the protection of animals used in experiments (Directive 86/609/EEC).

The Dr Hadwen Trust funds medical research at British universities to develop new non-animal techniques to replace live animals, such as 3-D models of disease, advanced human brain imaging techniques and computer modelling. The charity is leading the campaign to update Directive 86/609 and is calling for an EU-wide strategy to vastly increase investment in new non-animal replacement methods. Its proposal for a new EU Centre of Excellence in Alternatives research has so far received support from MEPs.

Emily McIvor, the Dr Hadwen Trust's Policy Director, told the Committee today (Wednesday 1st July) that we must embrace the vision of a world where animal experiments have either been fully replaced or are prohibited, and that as a solutions-led charity the Dr Hadwen Trust worked to find the science to achieve that vision.

Ms McIvor went on to explain that as well as seeking to implement existing non-animal alternatives, crucially the revised directive must also be used as a means to inspire further development of additional alternatives techniques to replace animals. Some of the current provisions in the proposal are too vague, she explained, for example failing to give sufficient emphasis to developing the replacement effort in the area of fundamental biomedical research which accounts for the majority of animals used in the EU.

When asked by the Committee whether the Dr Hadwen Trust considered the total replacement of animals achievable in the future, Ms McIvor agreed this was certainly the case. She said the animal model is inherently flawed as a surrogate for humans and it would be wrong to assume that flawed animal models are the best science we can ever achieve or to limit our ambitions of what science can bring us tomorrow. The strong likelihood is that we will always be able to improve on animals and produce more human-relevant results, said Ms McIvor.

The Dr Hadwen Trust's evidence supported the establishment of an EU Centre of Excellence in Alternatives incorporating a new strategic vision of science for the future. Ms McIvor lamented how unnecessarily polarised the animal research debate often is in the United Kingdom even amongst scientists. She explained that the vision for alternatives would set a framework for a future that would also take in all the interests and motivations of the vast majority of biomedical scientists who do not use animals as well as the minority who do.

The revision proposals are now being discussed by the Council of Ministers (where EU governments are represented). The House of Lords EU Committee has invited key experts and scientists from both sides of the debate to present oral evidence, and the Committee's report will provide recommendations based on the Committee's scrutiny of the proposal.

Notes:

The House of Lords EU Committee, Sub-Committee D launched its inquiry into the draft revision of Directive 86/609 in April 2009 with a call for written evidence from relevant experts. It has selected a number of individuals and organisations to present additional oral evidence before producing its report.

The European Commission published proposed improvements to the 20-year old law back in November 2008. Since then, sustained lobbying by the animal research industry has had a negative impact, culminating in many MEPs voting out key animal welfare provisions at First Reading in May this year. A major animal welfare loss were the proposed restrictions on the use of non-human primates that would see an end to experiments not relating to life-threatening or debilitating human conditions.

Listen to the Dr Hadwen Trust's oral evidence session by Emily McIvor and Dr Gemma Buckland here (following after the first session by the NC3Rs): www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=4494

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