Rise in animal testing condemned by Lucas and Tatchell
Caroline Lucas, leader of the Green Party, and rated joint top amongst UK MEPs (by Protecting Animals in Democracy) on the issue of animal rights, responds to the rise in animal testing in the UK:
"The Home Office figures released today [22nd July 2009] throw new light on the Government's shocking failure to address the continued use of animal in experiments - despite increasing evidence that animal tests often fail to reliably predict human reactions, and that newer non-animal methods can offer greater accuracy and safety assurance.
"We are at a critical point in the historic debate over animal testing, with the Government currently asking for the public's views on animal research ahead of discussions over a new European Union law - the current law being over 20 years old. Thankfully, the new EU proposals do represent some degree of progress, but I believe the scope of the directive needs to be significantly widened.
"EU citizens have consistently indicated strong support for more ambitious laws to improve the welfare and protection of animals used in testing - and to find funding for alternative methods to replace animal experiments. I recently helped to deliver a 1.5 million strong petition to 10 Downing Street calling on the Government to develop a 'road map' to move towards the end of animal testing.
"The UK Government must take urgent action to reverse the trend highlighted in these latest figures and work towards replacing animal experiments with viable non-animal alternatives. We need Europe to establish a world-leading Centre of Excellence in non-animal research to speed up the development of new techniques, moving away from the era of animal research and bringing a new era of modern science without animal suffering."
You can also read a comment piece by Peter Tatchell (PPC, Oxford East), on the Guardian's commentisfree website, here:
"The Long Fight Against Animal Testing"
"While most experiments in 2008 involved mice, macaque monkeys were used in 1,000 extra experiments, a hike of 33%. This trend is particularly disturbing and difficult to justify, given that macaques (and other monkeys used in UK labs) are intelligent, social animals. They share many human-like attributes, including language, tool-use, reasoning, emotions, improvisation, planning, empathy and the capacity to feel both physical and psychological pain. The mere fact of their imprisonment in laboratory cages - usually in solitary confinement - is a serious abuse of these thinking, feeling creatures."
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