Must try harder on animal research, says Nuffield council

The government must step up efforts to replace animals in research, the Nuffield Council on Bioethics has said. In its submission to a Home Office consultation on adopting a European directive on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes, the council says efforts to replace, refine and reduce the use of animals in research, primarily through the National Centre for the 3Rs, have been successful but further measures are needed. The council says the government should analyse the scientific barriers to replacing animals.