Government urged to reconsider law

There are fear stary pets could end up in animal testing laboratories There are fear stary pets could end up in animal testing laboratories

Animal charities and pet lovers fear stray cats and dogs could end up in animal testing laboratories over plans to lift a ban on their use.

The Government plans to adopt the EU-wide law allowing stray dogs and cats to be used in limited circumstances.

Liberal Democrat MP Adrian Sanders has tabled an early day motion rallying opposition to the move.

He said: "I'm shocked that the Government is considering removing the current protection given to our stray cats and dogs from being used in experiments.

"Losing a pet is distressing, but the idea that the animal could potentially end up in a laboratory is ghastly and unacceptable, and I urge the Government to reconsider."

Mr Sanders is supported by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV)

It said: "If these new rules are imposed, the Government could allow the use of stray, lost or abandoned cats and dogs to be used in experiments and sentenced to a life in a UK laboratory."

A Home Office spokesman told the Sunday Times: "We can envisage no circumstances where a licence would be granted to test on strays."

Comments(7)

Cleopatra says...
6:54am Sun 17 Jun 12

This government is SICK if it removes the ban on animal experiments and anyone who agrees to it should hang their heads in shame!!!!!

Catherinet says...
7:38am Sun 17 Jun 12

Can't they use Chavs, they are less useful than stray animals.

Dave2207 says...
7:43am Sun 17 Jun 12

Come to Boscombe to collect your strays for use as lab-rats! There are plenty of strays here, drinking cans of lager and lurching around in the streets.

Lord Mucking Fuddler says...
8:59am Sun 17 Jun 12

Steady on folks. Stray/street people with problems are not their by rational choice. They often appear to be animal lovers as well. They are frequently mentally ill and sometimes the victims of earlier child abuse and/or extreme neglect, it is horrible to even joke about this as it can encourage, albeit subconciously, any audience that dehumanising behaviour towards street people or chavs is acceptable. It's not.

Richard 1976 says...
9:37am Sun 17 Jun 12

Tend to agree. Some very unpleasant remarks. Think long and hard before you make glib remarks about rounding fellow human beings up for use as 'lab rats'.

newscritic says...
1:08pm Sun 17 Jun 12

Is there not enough cruelty in the world?

New techniques could soon replace live experiments on animals - lets hope it arrives quickly.

Human are sickening in their contempt for other creatures.

Try to place yourself in the position of the other animals.

LakeBreeze says...
1:23pm Sun 17 Jun 12

To allow this to go through is absolutely appalling.

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