In the news
6 Sep 2008
11 November 2005
Euro-MP delivers Dr Hadwen Trust's petition to Government
50,000 call on Government to fund alternatives to replace animal experiments
A 50,000-signature petition organised by the Dr Hadwen Trust for Humane Research, calling for renewed efforts to replace animal experiments, was delivered to Lord Sainsbury’s Office of Science and Technology today by Green MEP Caroline Lucas. The Dr Hadwen Trust is the UK’s leading non-animal medical research charity.
Existing animal tests have never been validated to modern standards and, as well as being extremely cruel, are slower and more expensive than non-animal alternatives.
Dr Lucas said:
“Replacing animal experiments with modern non-animal alternatives is not simply an animal rights issue — it will improve the effectiveness of toxicity testing and benefit the protection of human health and the environment.”
The petition of over 50,000 signatures, calls on the Government to provide increased funding to the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animal in Research (NC3Rs), earmarked specifically for research to replace animal experiments.
Dr Gill Langley, Science Director for the Dr Hadwen Trust, says:
“Replacing animal experiments is a challenging goal, and one which the government has embraced through the establishment of the NC3Rs. Developing advanced non-animal methods of research offers enormous benefits to science, animal welfare, patients, the wider public and the economy. But the government funds currently committed to replacing animal experiments are inadequate to properly exploit this potential.”
The petition calls on the Office of Science and Technology to increase the NC3Rs’ budget specifically to:
- Increase funding of the development of non-animal methods of research and testing
- Appoint a member of staff with special expertise in replacement
- Consult and regularly liaise with experienced animal welfare charities
- Organise workshops with leading researchers and other stakeholders to devise a progressive replacement strategy and to develop essential cross-discipline collaborations
- Encourage the learned and professional scientific societies to establish their own committees to advance non-animal methods.
