The UK Government has launched a consultation inviting views on protection for animals used in experiments in the UK.
Last year the European Commission produced new basic standards for all countries in the EU (Directive 2010/63/EU on the Protection of Animals used for Scientific Purposes). Member states must now transpose these new standards into their own national laws by the end of next year.
This will be the first major change to UK law for 25 years and it’s essential that we secure the best deal for animals in an area where it is hard to provide for genuine animal welfare.
During the passage of the Directive, OneKind campaigned hard along with other animal organisations and, with the help of our supporters, managed to secure some improvements in the EU law. Even so, as a harmonising measure, in some respects the Directive actually provides less protection than current UK law (Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. If it is transposed directly into our law, this would actually weaken our standards for animals – effectively turning back the clock.
Working with other animal welfare organisations, OneKind has been lobbying for the retention of current UK standards, where these are higher than the Directive. Examples include care and accommodation requirements, personal licensing system and accepted killing methods. Now, in launching the consultation, the Government has indicated an initial preference for this option.
The consultation sets out three options for the 2010 Directive’s transposition into UK law:
Option 1 is to implement no change at all. This is not a viable option as it would run contrary to the UK’s objectives under EU law.
Option 2 is to transpose the minimum requirements of the 2010 Directive by ‘copying out’ its provisions into UK legislation, discarding any more stringent provisions already in force in the UK. This option would also see regulatory powers decentralised from the Home Office to the same establishments who use animals for commercial purposes and would lower the auditing arrangements for licensed establishments. We believe this would be a retrograde step.
Option 3 would retain the current higher UK standards and only implement those provisions of the Directive where they are more stringent than those currently in force. We welcome the UK Government’s statement that this is its preferred option. Helpfully, this is the option that also makes most financial sense.
OneKind will send a comprehensive response to the consultation asking the Government, among other things, to:
- Maintain the UK’s existing stricter animal protection provisions
- Reduce the use of primates in UK Laboratories
- Phase out the use of wild-caught primates by suppliers
- Limit the severity of animal suffering
- Increase transparency for public accountability and wider scientific scrutiny
- Increase data sharing to prevent unnecessary experiments
- Create a UK laboratory for the validation and implementation of alternatives
- Use thematic review to identify areas of research for replacement
- Ensure the effective implementation of non-animal methods.
You can add your voice in support of our response - simply sign our petition below. The more names we have the stronger our voice for animals. Please ask your friends and family to add their names too.
Together we can make sure we don’t turn back the clock on animal cruelty in the UK. OneKind continues to campaign for advanced science and an end to animal suffering by the replacement of animals in scientific procedures with non-animal alternatives, as soon as possible.
The consultation will run for 12 weeks and the closing date for responses is 5 September 2011.