March 2002 News

House of Lords Looks at Animal Testing

March 19, 2002

The Royal Society, the United Kingdom's national academy of science, is considering setting up an institution devoted to investigating and developing alternatives to animal testing -- similar to the Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT) in the United States.

According to a NewScientist news article, Patrick Bateson, vice-president of the Royal Society, told a committee of the UK government's House of Lords that such an institution would be the first of its kind in Europe, and noted that CAAT has been in operation for 20 years and has been very successful.

This announcement came in conjunction with a statement by the House of Lords Select Committee on Animals in Scientific Procedures calling for scientists to educate the public on the importance of animal experimentation in the face of increasing public protest against animal testing. The committee expressed concern that a new generation is growing up hearing only the anti-testing message.

"There has definitely been a change in the attitudes of young scientists. Undergraduates approaching animal experimentation for the first time don't want to deal with dissections," Bateson told the committee.

Increased support and use of alternative methods could help bridge the gap between the need for biomedical research and animal welfare concerns. CAAT director, Alan M. Goldberg, is expected testify to the House of Lords committee in April.

The committee is expected to conclude its hearings by June 2002. The government has two months to respond to its recommendations.

For the full news item, see NewScientist.com at this site.