27 May 2008 - Caroline Lucas MEP will host a meeting of leading scientists and animal protection organisations in the European Parliament tomorrow (28 May), to discuss ways to end the use of animals in medical research.

World renowned bioethicist and primatologist Dr Jane Goodall DBE, a UN Messenger Of Peace, will make a rare visit to the Parliament for the Replace Animal Experiments in Europe event to urge MEPs to support a strategy to replace animal experiments.

At the briefing in Brussels, Dr Goodall DBE will present a 150,000 signature petition to the chair of the Petitions Committee supporting such a strategy, on behalf of citizens from across the United Kingdom, Austria, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Portugal and Spain.

Dr Lucas, a Vice President of the RSPCA and of the Parliament’s Animal Welfare Intergroup, is supporting the crucial event and commented:

“The timely call from Dr Goodall DBE and animal protection organisations including the Humane Society International and Dr Hadwen Trust to replace animal experimentation comes as the European Commission prepares to publish draft legislation to update the EU’s animal experiments directive (Directive 86/609 EEC) (1).

“The existing law is completely out of date – over 20 years old – and hundreds of thousands of animals currently receive no protection at all. The European Commission has been promising to update the animal experiments directive for years, with publication of the legislative proposal originally expected in 2007.

“Since then, the dossier has stumbled at every hurdle, and now delays threaten to prevent the Commission adopting it before the autumn. Further delay is simply unacceptable – in this instance, the Commission is guilty of blocking improved standards of animal protection.

"Urgent action is needed to improve the protection of animals and to replace out-dated animal experiments with non-animal techniques. In order to respond to public opinion, the Commission must improve standards of animal protection, and increase transparency and accountability in the revision of this Directive.

“Experiments on animals are frequently unreliable as a guide to human biology and the range of viable alternatives, such as epidemiology, the use of cell cultures, human tissue and computer simulation, is increasing all the time.

Dr Lucas concluded: “We are calling for Europe to establish a world-leading Centre of Excellence in non-animal research to speed up the development of new techniques, moving away from the era of animal research and bringing a new era of modern science without animal suffering."

Dr Jane Goodall DBE said: "We should admit that the infliction of suffering on beings who are capable of feeling is ethically problematic and that the amazing human brain should set to work to find new ways of testing and experimenting that will not involve the use of live, sentient beings.

“The scientific establishment should actively encourage such research. More funding should be made available for it. And rewards - such as a Nobel Prize - should be given for it. It is a goal worthy of great energy and scientific ingenuity. It is a goal towards which all civilized nations should be moving."

ENDS

For further information on the event, contact Wendy Higgins at Dr Hadwen Trust on mobile 07989 972 423 or email: wendy@drhadwentrust.org.

Notes To Editors

Replace Animal Experiments in Europe - Wednesday 28^th May 2008

Press briefing at 14:15 – 14:45

Event begins at 15:00 in Room ASP 3G2, European Parliament, Brussels.

(1) Council Directive 86/609/EEC of 24 November 1986 on the approximation of laws and administrative provisions of the Member States regarding the protection of animals used for experimental and other scientific purposes. For example in 2005, there were around 500,000 animals used in basic research in five member states where they are not protected, and it is estimated that over 100,000 sentient foetal animals and invertebrates are experimented on annually but afforded no protection under the existing law.

For more information on Dr Jane Goodall DBE, visit www.janegoodall.org; www.rootsandshoots.org.

The Dr Hadwen Trust - www.drhadwentrust.org.