The core principle underpinning animal experimentation regulation and policy internationally is that the likely benefits of such research must outweigh its expected costs. The intended beneficiaries are usually human patients or consumers, while the animal subjects bear the main costs, or harms. For example, Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes, which directs such animal use in all EU member states that, “The likely harm to the animal should be balanced against the expected benefits of the project.”
It is therefore surprising that human benefits are usually assumed, rather than critically assessed on the basis of reliable evidence. This site provides peer-reviewed scientific studies and governmental reports in order to deliver accurate information about the harms experienced by laboratory animals, and the benefits accruing from invasive animal research.
News
Jan. 2012: The Canadian laboratory animal use figures for 2010 have just been published... more