NAVS Renews Call For Government To Repeal Animal Experiment Secrecy Clause

Report advises overhaul at disgraced university animal laboratory The National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS) has renewed its call for a repeal of the animal experiment ‘secrecy clause’ following the release of a report advising 'a number of substantive recommendations' following failings at a top University animal laboratory. The report was commissioned by Imperial College London in response to terrible examples of negligence and animal suffering exposed at the University by an undercover investigation. Investigative findings included breaches in and a lack of knowledge of UK Home Office project licences; staff incompetence and neglect that resulted in animal suffering and distress; unsupervised and inexperienced researchers anaesthetising and carrying out surgery on animals; failure to provide adequate anaesthesia and pain relief and the controversial use of a guillotine to carry out live decapitation. The ‘Brown report’ identifies serious failings at Imperial College London including that the Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body at Imperial College London is “not fit for purpose”. However, the committee did not witness any animal experiments during its review of the laboratory. The NAVS Chief Executive, Jan Creamer: “Due to blanket secrecy laws, it is only possible for the public to see the shocking reality of life for animals inside laboratories through undercover investigations. At a time when animal experiments have reached the highest number in decades, we cannot continue the current regime of secrecy which keeps animals suffering behind closed doors. Imperial College's own report recommends a complete overhaul of animal experiments at the University. To help prevent similar animal research failings, which have been exposed by NAVS investigations at animal research facilities across the country, the Government must repeal the Section 24 ‘secrecy clause’ and allow experiment applications to be publicly scrutinised before they are granted.” For nearly 140 years, the public has been denied access to information on animal experiments. An EU Directive promoting ‘openness and transparency’ in animal research has prompted the Government to review the Section 24 ‘secrecy clause’ which prevents regulators from releasing details of what happens to animals during experiments. A public consultation on Section 24 is due to be launched in the near future. In addition to campaigning for the repeal of Section 24 and public scrutiny for animal experiment Project License Applications, the NAVS is calling for more rigorous monitoring of animal laboratories via the installation of independently monitored CCTV in laboratories. A similar independent monitoring system has been demanded at slaughterhouses by the top ten supermarkets, following animal abuse breaches revealed by an undercover investigation. The independence of the University-commissioned committee has been called into question as the chair, Professor Brown, is Director at an animal research centre run by the Medical Research Council, which is closely linked to Imperial College London. Nearly 70,000 people have signed a petition calling for an inquiry that is independent of Imperial College London and the Home Office. A Home Office report into the findings at Imperial College London will be published later this year.

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