The Animal Interfaith Alliance (AIA) warmly welcomes the Government’s new strategy, “Replacing Animals in Science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods” which AIA has been campaigning onsince its inception ten years ago.
The strategy’s vision is “for a world where the use of animals in research and development is eliminated in all but exceptional circumstances, achieved by creating a research and innovation system that replaces animals with alternative methods wherever possible”.
We celebrate the fact that the government has at last recognised that the animal testing model is out-dated and that non-animal research methods are the way forward.
With the recent advancement of human-relevant test methods, the Government recognises the opportunities for replacing animal experiments. It also recognises that it must create the environment to encourage this. The strategy seeks to implement this environment.
The strategy has six objectives:
- Accelerate the replacement of animals in science to phase out their use.
- Achieve equal or better research and testing outcomes using alternative methods.
- Drive private investment in alternative methods to boost innovation and growth.
- Improve regulatory confidence and acceptance of alternative methods.
- Create infrastructure and partnerships to unlock value from UK data.
- Position the UK as a global leader in alternative methods.
The strategy divides animal experiments into three baskets, those where alternatives already exist and can be replaced immediately, with many planned to be phased out by 2026, those where alternatives are being developed, which will take a little longer, and those which currently have no alternatives, but where these should be developed.
AIA has been campaigning to replace animal testing with human-relevant test methods for over ten years, so we are delighted to, at last, see a serious strategy to achieve this. The strategy’s targets for ending animal testing are ambitious. However, we will be vigilant in overseeing the achievement of those targets. Whilst this is a significant step, we must ensure that progress is timely and that specific issues within the Government’s report be examined and worked through. Our scientific expert, Dr Andre Menache has written a review outlining some of the potential issues within the report, which can be read here. Through our political representative and continued consultation and campaigning, we aim to keep the pressure on the government to address the potential problems to ensure genuine and timely progress.
Animal Interfaith Alliance 