July 2002 News

House of Lords Issues Report on Animals in Research

July 26, 2002

A report by a select committee of the British parliament's House of Lords calls for the scientific community to "give greater priority to the development of non-animal methods and... to the pursuit of the Three Rs -- reduction, refinement, and replacement." The committee recommends that a center for the Three Rs be established in the United Kingdom.

The committee's report on "Animals in Scientific Procedures" is the product of a year of investigation, hearings, and consultations with a wide range of representatives from both the research and the animal protection communities.

The committee concludes that "it is morally acceptable for human beings to use other animals, but that it is morally wrong to cause them unnecessary or avoidable suffering." "Animal experiments are still needed, but more could be done to find new methods of research which don't involve animals," said Lord Smith of Clifton, who led the committee.

The report also expresses concern over the secrecy and distrust surrounding animal testing and stresses the need for open debate and dialogue. The committee recommends repealing the "confidentiality clause" of the 1986 Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act, which allows the details of scientific procedures to be kept confidential.

"The public availability of regularly updated, good quality information on what animals experiments are done and why, is vital to create an atmosphere in which animal experimentation can be discussed productively," the report said.

The complete 82-page report is available online on the parliamentary web site: here

Several UK news articles on the committee's report are available online as well: