A 50-point strategy for animal welfare released by the Labour Party today includes proposals to help animals in laboratories. The plan contains recommendations from our CEO Michelle Thew who helped with the drafting of the strategy last year. This includes policies to end avoidable animal tests, increase transparency around animal testing and stop tests that cause severe suffering to animals.

We are delighted that animals used in research aren’t being overlooked and the need for development into more humane and human-relevant alternatives to cruel and unnecessary animal testing has been recognised.

The welfare strategy has plans to:

•             End tests causing ‘severe’ suffering to animals within an achievable timeframe.

•             Review regulatory testing, with the aim of identifying and eliminating avoidable tests.

•             Ban the export of animals used in research unless there is specific consent from the Home Office.

•             Make animal testing licenses open and transparent.

•             Develop non-animal research methods and technologies and encourage research in the field.

•             Appoint an Animal Welfare Commissioner to ensure that animal welfare standards are always considered in legislation.

As part of its strategy for improving animal welfare in the UK Labour also intends to ban foie gras, end the badger cull and tighten up laws on fox-hunting. The 50 point plan proposes to help families with vet bills as well. 

Michelle Thew, CEO of Cruelty Free International, says: “We wholeheartedly welcome the proposals in the animal welfare strategy announced today by Labour. These are developments for which we have campaigned tirelessly for years. It shows great progress that one of the major political parties is now committed to a positive plan for ending the suffering of animals in laboratories. The public will be overjoyed that their call for an end to cruel and unnecessary animal testing is being taken seriously. We believe this is the start of a journey that will finally put a stop to needless animal experiments in the UK.”