Emily Thornberry has been joined by Professor Mark Caulfield at the William Harvey Research Institute in Finsbury in expressing support for the Government's tough stance on ‘animal-testing terrorists'.
Emily says the Government's position strikes the right balance by recognising the huge medical advances that animal testing has brought, whilst maintaining one of the toughest licensing and control regimes in the world.
Controls on animal testing in the UK are continually tightened as replacement procedures become available. Testing on great apes like gorillas is prohibited and the Labour Government outlawed the testing of cosmetics on animals in 1998.
Professor Caulfield is standing ‘shoulder-to-shoulder' with Emily against ‘animal-testing terrorists', saying:
"I stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Emily Thornberry in supporting the use of animals in research to improve the treatment and prevention of disease in humans. In the UK we are at the forefront of the search for alternative ways to develop new treatments which minimise the involvement of animals. Many of the drugs that now save lives were developed using animal models. Without such testing, serious unknown problems may have led to adverse effects or human deaths"
Emily has recently taken two steps to take a stand against animal testing terrorists:
She has signed the ‘People's Petition' to express her support for limited animal testing alongside a tough licensing regime. The petition also states that the people involved in animal research should have the right to live and work without fear of intimidation or attack. It has been signed by over 20,000 people to date, including the Prime Minister Tony Blair.
She has spoken in Parliament in support of the Government's Company Law Reform Bill, which will extend the protection for individuals involved in animal research. For example it will allow directors to keep their family addresses private to prevent threats of violence or intimidation.
Emily said:
"I am glad the UK has tough controls on animal testing, but I also appreciate the huge medical advances that the research has brought. I support the Government's stand on this, and I particularly support the right of people working in research to live and work without fear or intimidation."
Editors' Notes:
The People's Petition can be found at http://www.thepeoplespetition.org.uk/
Professor Caulfield works in Clinical Pharmacology at the William Harvey Research Institute, part of the John Vane Science Centre in Charterhouse Square, Finsbury.
