AUGUST 2004 NEWS

The Humane Society of the United States' Animal Research News & Analysis

August 27, 2004

In this Issue

1. Call for Nominations for the 2005 Animal Welfare Enhancement Awards

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and the Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT) are calling for proposals for the 2005 Animal Welfare Enhancement Awards. Up to 12 awards will be bestowed for studies intended to advance the welfare of laboratory animals through improvements in animal housing, handling and/or experimental conditions. Each award is for $6,000. All laboratory personnel, including laboratory and animal technicians, are eligible. The submission deadline is November 1, 2004.

Source: Altweb.

2. Drug Companies Funding Animal-based Research & Training in the UK

Three of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies are donating £4m to British universities for medical research and training involving animals. GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca, and Pfizer have stated that their donation is intended to get British pharmaceutical companies back into animal testing in a public way. This comes in the wake of aggressive and high-profile campaigning by animal rights groups, which reportedly has left several companies hesitant to invest in UK research. Part of the £4m would be awarded over 4 years and would go to training graduate students in how to conduct animal experiments. The British Pharmacological Society stated the donation would have a “significant impact” on the money available to conduct medical research at universities. The donations are sure to anger the British animal protection community.

Source: Financial Times

3. Amendments to the Animal Welfare Act Regulations

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has amended the Animal Welfare Act Regulations concerning animal dealers. The amendments focus on license fees, applications, renewals and terminations; registration and recordkeeping requirements; and the procurement of dogs, cats, and other animals from Class A, B, and C dealers. The changes stem from an August, 2000 USDA notice soliciting comments on an agency proposal. Nearly 400 comments were received by the end of the extended comment period. The amendments took effect on August 13, 2004.

Source: USDA

4. Switzerland Releases 2003 Animal Research Statistics

According to recently released statistics from The Netherlands, 640,303 animals were used in experiments in 2002, of which 35.3% experienced moderate to very severe discomfort. Total animal use was up 1.6% over 2001 but down 2.8% from 2000. Of the 2002 total, 37.3% experienced minor discomfort, 27.4% experienced minor/moderate discomfort, 20.2% experienced moderate discomfort, 9% experienced moderate/severe discomfort, 5.9% experienced severe discomfort and 0.2%, or 1,639 animals, experienced very severe discomfort. Animal use fell primarily into the categories of biological studies of a fundamental nature (52.6%) and discovery, development, and quality control of products or appliances for human and veterinary medicine (38.7%). Other use categories included protection of man animals and their environment (6.8%), education and training (1.7%), and diagnosis (0.1%).

Source: Swiss Federal Veterinary Office, 2003 Statistics

5. Animal Welfare Controversy at the AVMA Convention

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) prohibited the Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights (AVAR) from exhibiting at the AVMA’s annual convention in Philadelphia in July. The move followed AVAR signing on to a June 21st New York Times advertisement with other animal groups, accusing the AVMA of betraying farm animals. The full page ad, “Has anyone betrayed more animals than the American Veterinary Medical Association?”, condemned the AVMA for refusing to take a stand against certain farm animal practices, including forced molting of laying hens and confinement of pregnant sows and veal calves. AVAR had exhibited at past AVMA annual conventions.

At the July convention, AVMA’s House of Delegates passed a resolution on forced molting and referred a resolution on foie gras production to the AVMA’s Animal Welfare Committee for further study. Also, AVMA President Bonnie Beaver told the Delegates that the AVMA should establish a Division of Animal Welfare. According to the AVMA Bulletin, the “public and animal industry want and expect the AVMA to show leadership on animal welfare issues, yet the Association has tended to resist that role, Dr. Beaver said.” Further, “Dr. Beaver ... said the Association must be careful not to let its ties to animal industries cloud its objectivity when considering welfare policies.”

Sources: ABC News; AVAR; AVMA Bulletin, July 30, 2004

Animal Research News & Analysisis an electronic newsletter that provides up-to-date news stories and interpretive analyses concerning the use of animals in research, testing, and education. The newsletter is produced by The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and is distributed periodically. It serves as a source for information and is not a discussion list, so please do not reply to this message. Any questions or comments should be directed to the e-mail address listed below. To unsubscribe, please send an e-mail request to ari@hsus.org with the words, "unsubscribe - Animal Research News" in the subject line; please specify your first and last name. The HSUS's collection of web-based animal research-related news stories can be viewed at: http://www.hsus.org/ace/712.

Animal Research Issues, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) (301) 258-3041.