A step back for lab animal welfare?




Helen Coen, senior RSPCA press officer

 

One of the hot topics I’ve been working on this week is the use of animals in research and testing.

On Wednesday the Home Office released new statistics showing that the number of scientific procedures using animals has topped 3.7 million in the UK for the first time since the current law regulating lab animal use came into force in 1986.

Here in the RSPCA press office we’ve been speaking journalists about our concerns that despite the fact that the public is consistently told that experiments using animals are only ever undertaken ‘where absolutely necessary’, we’ve seen an astonishing 37 per cent increase in animal use over the last decade. But whilst the numbers of animals used is very important, a really big concern is how much these animals actually suffer.

The story has appeared in lots of newspapers, websites and blogs, which is great news as I think many people don’t realise that animals are used in so many different areas of research and that such a large number of animals are involved.

Those representing science and industry often attempt to reassure the public by claiming that the UK has the ‘strictest regulations in the world’ and that ‘everything is done to the highest possible standards’. So you’d think that they’d want to keep these standards. But some of these same people are now lobbying for many aspects of the law to be watered down to the minimum baseline set by a new European directive on animal experiments.

Whilst these new EU controls will certainly represent a step forward for a number of other European countries, they fall short in many areas of what we have had here in the UK for a number of years.

Despite having the freedom to maintain our standards where they are higher, there is little convincing evidence that the UK Government will choose to do so. It could mean reduced government and local controls on animal use in the UK, lab animals being allowed to suffer ‘long-lasting, unalleviated, severe pain, suffering or distress’ and some animals such as dogs could be kept in even smaller housing.

Because of this, the RSPCA is campaigning for the current UK standards to be maintained at the very least. I’m passionate about this campaign as I think it’s really important for the public to know the facts.

I also think most people expect there to be tough controls on animal experiments, given the suffering they can cause.

I’ve already responded to a Home Office public consultation which is asking people how they think the directive should be implemented in this country.

If you’d like to take part in the consultation or find out more, there’s lots of information and tips on how you can help on the RSPCA’s Give Animals A Voice campaigning website.

Meanwhile, you might like to watch our fantastic new animation and also take a look at my colleague Penny Hawkins being interviewed on CBBC Newsround!

And if you are interested in finding out more about the issue of animals in research and testing more generally, you can find lots of great stuff on the RSPCA website.

Helen Coen, senior press officer