Cruelty Free International welcomes Minister for Animal Welfare’s commitment to phase-out of animal testing in the UK
Lord Patrick Vallance will lead development of government plans.
Cruelty Free International, the world's leading organisation working to end the use of animals in laboratories, welcomes the renewed commitment from Animal Welfare Minister, Baroness Sue Hayman of Ullock, towards the government’s plans to phase out animal testing in the UK.
Speaking at a Labour Party Conference fringe event, entitled ‘Helping Millions of Animals’ and organised by the Labour Animal Welfare Society, Baroness Hayman revealed that Lord Patrick Vallance, Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation, will lead the development of a cross-departmental Roadmap to end the 2.68 million uses of animals in scientific tests every year.
Lord Vallance, who was previously the UK’s Chief Scientific Officer, will co-ordinate creation of the Roadmap alongside Home Office Minister, Baron David Hanson of Flint, and Baroness Hayman.
Speaking at the event held at Liverpool’s Adelphi Hotel, Baroness Hayman said: “I know that people were disappointed that there was no mention of (animal testing) in the King’s Speech, but I want to reassure people that we are moving forward. We will deliver on those commitments that were in the manifesto.
“Animal testing covers three departments – the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), Defra and the Home Office, so Patrick Vallance, who is the Lords’ Minister for Science, is going to take the lead on delivering that manifesto promise, on getting a Roadmap towards how we move forward.
“We’re looking to do a joint meeting between himself, myself and David Hanson from the Home Office to look at how we can work together. We are determined to work cross-department to make sure that we actually deliver on our promises, because too often these things fall between two stools.
“I’ve been trying to review the (animal welfare) work that has already been done, a lot of work has been done and is just sitting there. I’m trying to get a really clear picture of where the department is on all the animal welfare issues, so that I can start to pull these threads together to actually come up with something that creates a proper animal welfare strategy. We do genuinely want to make a difference and are determined to deliver on those promises that we have made.”
Latest figures, released in September, show that there were 2,681,686 uses of animals in laboratories in Great Britain in 2023 – a meagre fall of only 3% on 2022. Of those 2.68 million, 18% (over 495,000) caused severe or moderate pain, the highest level of suffering and distress, and even death. The creation and breeding of genetically altered animals accounted for 45% (1.21m) of the total, whilst regulatory testing, to assess the safety or effectiveness of products, was 9% (246,163).
Tests highlighted in Cruelty Free International’s UK Replace Animal Tests (RAT) List continued in 2023, despite having approved non-animal replacements. This includes skin irritation tests on rabbits (2023 saw an increase from zero to 3), eye irritation tests on rabbits (three to seven) and skin sensitisation tests on animals (248 to 296, an increase of 19%).
Cruelty Free International’s UK Head of Public Affairs, Dylan Underhill, who was on the panel alongside Baroness Hayman, said: “This confirmation of the government’s plan is hugely positive and encouraging news, and a very welcome step along the path towards creating a Roadmap and ultimately the end of animal testing in the UK. Labour has a strong track record on animal protection and this is a firm indication that they intend to build on it. Cruelty Free International is looking forward to working with Baroness Hayman, Lord Vallance and Lord Hanson to turn these commitments into strong and concrete actions."
Also speaking at the event, Chaired by Ruth Jones, MP for Newport West and Islwyn and previously the Labour Party’s shadow minister for animal welfare, were: Mandy Carter (Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director, Animal Policy International); Danielle Duffield (member of LAWS and expert in animal law); Mark Glover (Campaign Director, Respect for Animals); Will Morton (Head of Public Affairs, League Against Cruel Sports) and James West (UK Public Affairs Manager, Compassion In World Farming).
Cruelty Free International’s ‘Creating a Cruelty-Free Future’ report, which outlines the organisation’s initial recommendations to assist the government in their plans to phase-out animal testing in the UK, can be downloaded at https://crueltyfreeinternational.org/sites/default/files/2024-07/Creating%20a%20Cruelty%20Free%20Future_UK_0.pdf
