Research groups stand up for animal experimentation

A group of research organisations has criticised a publication from a European Parliament group on animal welfare, saying it made claims about animal use in research that are not supported by evidence.

The Parliament’s informal Intergroup on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals published a notice on its website on 13 September summarising a meeting it said was held earlier that day. The summary said the meeting aimed to question the use of animals in research “both ethically and scientifically”.

“Animal testing is inherently uncertain and is a misleading indicator for human trials,” the summary said. “This low predictivity has an impact on the protection of human, animal and environmental health.”