Scientists unite to tackle animal research directive

A new grouping of European scientists - The European Coalition for Biomedical Research (ECBR) - has been formed to address EU regulation of the use of animals in scientific research.

Existing EU directives on animal research are set to change

The existing EU directive regulating animal experimentation dates from 1986, and there has been pressure to revise it for some time. This summer, the European Commission gave the first indication of what was likely to be included in the revision.

The coalition is planning to scrutinise the draft directive and will seek the help of MEPs to try and include amendments where they think necessary.

After seeing the initial suggestions from the Commission, Dr. Mark Matfield, director of the European Biomedical Research Association, and general secretary of the ECBR said: “Whilst there is much that is sensible, there are also some rather dangerous suggestions.

“For example, there is a proposal to limit the use of non-human primates in research to those that have been bred for two or more generations in captivity. It’s a worthy sounding idea, but one that was based on completely inaccurate information and would almost eliminate the use of macaques in research – there aren’t enough of these two-generation captive bred laboratory primates, and it would take years for sufficient numbers to become available.”

In addition to debating issues with the Commission, the Coalition will be helping its members inform MEPs in their respective countries about the reasons for needing to continue to use animals in medical research.