Not bad apples, but a broken system: rethinking animal testing in science
Images of distressed monkeys being force-fed substances, pigs having dressings removed from raw skin, and rabbits confined in cramped restrainers will have upset and angered readers, and RSPCA supporters impatient for change.
Unfortunately, these unsettling scenes - which reportedly include tests for new weight loss drugs - are nothing new. But they are what drives us everyday to do the work that we do for animals in science.
This was not an expose that uncovered illegal acts of cruelty. Instead, it demonstrated the sorts of tests routinely authorised and carried out around the world to satisfy current regulatory requirements for new chemicals, medicines and treatments. It therefore wasn’t a case of bad apples, but of a system in urgent need of overhaul.
Scientists currently use animals to try to understand how humans and other animals’ bodies work in health or disease, to assess the safety and effectiveness of new medicines and treatments, and to evaluate the risks of everyday chemicals such as pesticides to wildlife and the wider environment.
But the facts make for grim reading. More than two and a half million experiments are carried out using animals in the UK annually. This includes tens of thousands of animals used in tests to assess toxicity - many of these will have experienced the sorts of suffering and distress highlighted by the expose.
Change is clearly needed, and we are impatient too. And while we're realistic that we sadly won’t get there overnight, scenes like those in the press over the weekend only further reinforce our determination to achieve the RSPCA’s primary goal of replacing the use of animals in science with humane alternatives, worldwide.
As we strive towards that aim, we must also work hard to minimise the suffering and improve the welfare of animals currently used in science - including refining the procedures they are subjected to, how they are housed, and the sorts of husbandry and care they receive.
And, as long as animals continue to be used in science, we will engage with those involved in the regulation, use and care of animals to challenge current practices; seeking to reduce the number of animals required to satisfy that existing scientific demand; lobbying for experiments to be designed with curbing animal use in mind, and ensuring smarter statistical analysis helps optimise numbers.
Our approach is, and will continue to be, embedded in these 3Rs - refinement, reduction and, most importantly, replacement. I’m proud that this approach sees experts in the RSPCA’s Animals in Science team help lab animals by influencing laws, attitudes and practices - vital work that isn’t always as high profile as people expect. Much campaigning effort instead takes place ‘behind-the-scenes’, dealing directly with key decision-makers and those with the greatest capacity to effect change in the industry.
We are making a real difference, but there is a long way to go - both domestically, and globally. Staggeringly, more than 100 million animals are estimated to be used worldwide in research and testing annually. That’s why we must continue this engagement with regulators, industry and the scientific community, aiming for a future where science can be done without harming animals.
And there are reasons to be optimistic. In November, the UK Government launched a first-ever national strategy, championed by Science Minister Lord Vallance and backed by £75 million, aimed at phasing out animal use in all but "exceptional circumstances”.
It sets out actions to support replacement - including funding for developing more non-animal alternatives, helping scientists access the labs, equipment and skills needed to use them, and steps to speed up their international acceptance by regulators.
The development of non-animal technologies and new approach methodologies, such as organs-on-chips and predictive modeling using artificial intelligence, is increasingly making it possible to replace and reduce animal use in research and testing. This landmark UK policy - including much the RSPCA has long called for - marked a proud moment for our advocacy role, and proves our strategy is working.
And it means that in this World Day for Laboratory Animals (April 24), we can realistically imagine a future where important science is done without harming animals - and those upsetting images published in The Mail on Sunday no longer demonstrate established practice in labs across the globe.
The lives and experiences of each individual lab animal matters. These sentient beings feel pain, suffering, and joy, just like our pets. They deserve that all involved in the UK fully commit to, and build upon, the new replacement strategy, to ultimately realise a future where animal experiments are replaced with humane alternatives, once and for all.
Thomas Schultz-Jagow is Director of Advocacy and Prevention at RSPCA.
