EARA has called on the biomedical community to be ‘less reactive and more assertive’ in its response to calls by the European Parliament to set arbitrary dates to reduce the use of animals in research.
In an opinion piece, by EARA executive director, Kirk Leech, published by the Federation of European Biomedical Societies, he sets out the dangers of such an approach and the need for collective action by the sector.
Kirk said there had been a failure to include the views of informed scientists on EU advisory groups: “Part of the problem until now has been the one-sided, highly negative narrative about animal research in Brussels, particularly in the Parliament, and an ongoing ‘noise’ that consistently stigmatises animal research.
“In future, the sector needs to be less reactive and be more assertive about the benefits that research using animals brings and the effect that restrictions on their use will have on the life science sector, drug development, the wider European economy and its future healthcare needs.”
Also this week, the UK Government gave firm support to the current legislation on animal research in response to a petition to Parliament calling for a ban on animal testing.
The official response stated, Government believes scientific research using animals plays a vital part in our understanding of how biological systems work in health and disease