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September 2002 News
Britain's House of Lords Recommends Alternatives Center Similar to CAAT
September 25, 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.
In the report, the committee wrote, "We recommend that a Centre for the Three Rs be set up, consisting of a small, administrative hub which co-ordinates research units embedded in existing centres of scientific excellence," and added, "In making this specific recommendation we have been particularly influenced by our visit to the Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (based at Johns Hopkins University in the United States), the evidence we received from ECVAM and the OECD, and the conference we held towards the end of our evidence gathering with representatives from industry, funding bodies, and animal welfare and rights groups."
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.
Dr. Alan Goldberg, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT), testified before the committee on April 23. To read his statement, see here.
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: