RSPCA petition shows public support to end use of animals in research

Tuesday, 1 September 2009 12:00 AM

As RSPCA representatives join other animal welfare groups in Rome at an international congress on replacing animal experiments, the Society is ensuring that the message back home continues by sending a petition to the UK Government signed by over 68,000 people.

It calls on the Home Office to work towards finding humane alternatives to animals and highlights some of the Society's major concerns about the use of animals in research and testing. This is a critically important time for laboratory animals because the European law on animal use is being revised and the UK Government is now finalising its position on the proposed changes.

Work to revise the legislation regulating animal experiments across the EU, which has remained unchanged since 1986, began back in 2002. Member States, including the UK, will meet to discuss the latest draft of the Directive on 7 and 8 September. The RSPCA petition sends a clear message to the UK Government that public concerns are strong and justified and cannot be ignored.

Deputy Head of the RSPCA's Research Animal Department, Penny Hawkins said "The revision of the European Directive 86/609 is a vital opportunity for tightening restrictions on animal use and raising standards across Europe. The RSPCA is urging the UK Government to call for better regulation of animal use when finalising its position, rather than relaxing standards to fall in line with other Member States where regulations are more lenient."

. The Directive must be extended to cover all research that may cause animals to suffer. It currently only covers the development and safety testing of products, but not so-called "basic" biological research that is done to investigate how humans or other animals function.

. There should be a clearly defined and effective system of licensing projects, researchers and facilities, and inspecting facilities, in each Member State.

. The licensing process for projects should include a harm/benefit assessment. This critically assesses the harm that is likely to be caused to the animals involved, against the potential benefits of undertaking the experiment and is already central to the UK legislation.

. The Directive should clearly state the importance of implementing the 3Rs of replacement, reduction and refinement, with strong emphasis in the development and use of alternatives to animals.

Just under 3.7 million animals were used in scientific procedures in the UK in 2008, up from 3.2 million in 2007. This increase, recently revealed in the Home Office's annual statistics, is the seventh consecutive rise and highlights how important it is that revisions to this Directive remain as stringent as possible.

Penny added "Our petition proves that a huge number of people support the RSPCA's view that efforts must be stepped up to replace and reduce animal use in experiments, and to reduce the suffering and improve the welfare of animals for as long as animal research and testing continues. The RSPCA, and the significant section of the public that we represent, would find it totally unacceptable were there to be any weakening of UK legislation as a result of changes to the Directive."

In order to maintain public confidence, and for reasons of good science and good animal welfare, the RSPCA is urging the Government to lobby for tougher controls on animal experiments and better conditions for animals during negotiations with the relevant bodies of the other Member States.

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Notes to editors: Penny Hawkins is available for interview and requests should be directed to the national press office.

The 7th World Congress on Alternatives & Animal Use in the Life Sciences in Rome began on the 30th of August and runs until the 3rd of September, two members of the RSPCA's Research Animals Department are attending the event together with worldwide representatives of NGOs, industry and science as well as authorities and decision-makers.

68,315 people signed an online RSPCA petition stating "We, the undersigned, call on the British Government to work towards ending the use of animals in experiments, replacing them with humane alternatives."

*Home Office Statistics can be viewed online at http://scienceandresearch.homeoffice.gov.uk/animal-research/publications-and-reference/statistics/?view=Standard

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