Revision of UK lab animal law
The law which currently regulates the use of animals in experiments across the 27 Member States of the European Union (EU) is 25 years old and was in desperate need of updating.
The long process of revising this legislation began in 2002. Specialist scientific staff from our research animals department have had significant input into the process throughout its various stages, trying to ensure that across Europe:
- the necessity and justification for using animals is always critically reviewed
- more is done to speed up the development of humane alternatives
- every possible step is taken to reduce the numbers of animals that are used and to significantly reduce their suffering and improve their welfare.
In October 2010, following years of debate and intense negotiation, agreement was finally reached between the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union (comprising representatives of each EU Member State government) on the text of the new legislation.
Improvements for lab animals across Europe
The new legislation represents a significant advance for many Member States and should lead to improvements for tens of thousands of animals.
For example, all scientific uses of animals will now be legally controlled and all Member States will have a basic system of licensing research establishments and projects. Very importantly, there is a requirement to implement the 3Rs of replacement, reduction and refinement and each project will have to undergo a harm-benefit assessment to assess whether the use of animals is necessary and justified. Every establishment will also have to set up an Animal Welfare Body to advise on the 3Rs throughout each project.
Unfortunately there are no real restrictions on primate use, and apparently ‘stricter’ controls relating to which animals can be used and how much they may be permitted to suffer may be overcome by using a multitude of “get-out clauses” if a scientific benefit can be shown. There is also insufficient emphasis on replacing animals, and the timeframe allowed for improving standards of housing and care is outrageously long.
How does this affect the UK?
The UK now has until 1 January 2013 to ensure that it implements the requirements of the revised EU legislation - which is actually less stringent than the current UK law in a number of areas. We are deeply concerned that if the UK were to amend its own regulations in line with the minimum requirements of the Directive, this could mean weaker standards and less protection for UK lab animals - a significant backwards step.
A major worry is that the role of the official inspectors from the Home Office (which implements the law in the UK) and of the local Ethical Review Process in place at each research establishment could be watered down.
However, Member States have been given the freedom to retain aspects of their current national laws that go beyond the basic requirements of the new EU legislation. We want the UK Government to act upon this and ensure that our laws are not weakened.
The RSPCA is monitoring events closely and continuing to take every opportunity to input into the process. We responded to the recent public consultation from the Home Office and set out some of our major concerns relating to how the new European Directive may now be transposed into law in the UK. We are currently awaiting the Home Office's formal response to the consultation process - which is expected during January 2012.
Our concerns are also highlighted in our recent briefing for MPs:
Facts
- Around 1300 establishments (including universities, pharmaceutical and chemicals companies) use a total of 12 million animals in experiments each year across the EU.
- Over 68,000 people signed our petition calling on the UK Government to work towards ending the use of animals in experiments, replacing them with humane alternatives, and to support the RSPCA position with regard to the new European laws.
