The ethics of research involving animals - Nuffield Council on ...
The ethics of research involving animals - Nuffield Council on ...
The ethics of research involving animals - Nuffield Council on ...
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T h e e t h i c s o f r e s e a r c h i n v o l v i n g a n i m a l s<br />
Other issues<br />
Motivating and m<strong>on</strong>itoring Reducti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>involving</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
One way <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> motivating and m<strong>on</strong>itoring reducti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> animal experiments would be to set targets.<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> most radical form <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> target would be to aim to aband<strong>on</strong> or phase out a specific area <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> animal<br />
experimentati<strong>on</strong>. Members <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the Working Party disagree about the setting <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> targets. Those who<br />
favour the approach argue that without targets there tends to be drift and fatalism (paragraph<br />
15.65). Those who have major reservati<strong>on</strong>s questi<strong>on</strong> the feasibility <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the approach and assert that<br />
those accountable can be unfairly held resp<strong>on</strong>sible for unrealistic expectati<strong>on</strong>s (paragraph 15.66).<br />
We accept that setting targets is not straightforward:<br />
■ We welcome the c<strong>on</strong>cept <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> targets as a useful and universally used means <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> measuring<br />
progress towards specific aims. But we also see problems in applying such a strategy to<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>involving</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g>, where, in many cases, the setting <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> specific quantitative<br />
(numerical) targets is felt by those using <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> in <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> to be unhelpful. Instead, we<br />
suggest that Reducti<strong>on</strong> could be encouraged and m<strong>on</strong>itored by means <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> a more flexible<br />
approach. One way would be to c<strong>on</strong>sider qualitative markers <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> reducti<strong>on</strong>, for example, aimed<br />
at reducing <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> that causes substantial suffering. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> Government’s Inter-Departmental<br />
Group <strong>on</strong> the Three Rs should undertake or commissi<strong>on</strong> a feasibility study to identify which<br />
kinds <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> reducti<strong>on</strong> marker could be set in particular areas <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> applied and/or basic <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g>.<br />
■ In principle, reducti<strong>on</strong> markers should <strong>on</strong>ly be set if they can be linked to a realistic strategy<br />
for developing the necessary Replacement methods that will not compromise the amount and<br />
quality <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> basic and applied biomedical <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> and testing that would otherwise be licensed<br />
by the Home Office. Reducti<strong>on</strong> markers that ‘rati<strong>on</strong> discovery’ are not compatible with the<br />
scientific approach.<br />
■ <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> development <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> any strategy should primarily be the resp<strong>on</strong>sibility <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> legislative bodies<br />
and governments, as should the task <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> providing the infrastructure and some <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the funding<br />
to facilitate the process, in close c<strong>on</strong>sultati<strong>on</strong> with stakeholders from academia, industry and<br />
animal protecti<strong>on</strong> groups.<br />
■ In implementing reducti<strong>on</strong> markers it is crucial that initiatives at the nati<strong>on</strong>al level are<br />
complemented, although not limited by, initiatives at the internati<strong>on</strong>al level (paragraph 15.67).<br />
Duplicati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
Another area where there may be potential for reducti<strong>on</strong> c<strong>on</strong>cerns the avoidance <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
duplicati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> or testing (paragraphs 12.6 and 15.16). <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g>re is a range <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> views about<br />
whether or not <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> is duplicated frequently (paragraph 15.69). However, we have not<br />
explored in this Report the questi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the extent to which duplicati<strong>on</strong> occurs, or the feasibility<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> devising mechanisms that help to avoid the duplicati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g>. But we are clear that, in<br />
principle, duplicati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> harmful <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> is unacceptable (paragraph 15.16) and we therefore<br />
welcome the approach underlying the UK Government’s Inter-Departmental Data Sharing<br />
C<strong>on</strong>cordat (paragraph 12.6). <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> C<strong>on</strong>cordat has recently been reviewed by the Government<br />
who commented that the agreement had ensured that ‘regulators promote data sharing within<br />
the scientific community’, noting also that there was no evidence that duplicati<strong>on</strong> was ‘a<br />
significant problem in the UK’. 12 <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> Working Party has not been able to study the review, and<br />
12 Home Office (2005) Ministerial Resp<strong>on</strong>se <strong>on</strong> the Report by the Animals Procedures Committee – Review <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Cost Benefit<br />
Assessment in the use <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> in <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g>, p10, available at:<br />
http://www.home<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>fice.gov.uk/docs4/jw280305flint_banner_report_by_the_animal_procedures_committee.pdf. Accessed <strong>on</strong>:<br />
21 April 2005.<br />
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