Animal experiment ruling 'unlawful'

My Account
Logout

Create an Evening Standard Account

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Welcome! Sign in here

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Forgot your password ?

Registration

* indicates fields that are mandatory

Email *

Password *

Confirm Password *

First name *

Surname *

Postcode *

Country *

Mobile phone number

Username *

Gender *

Year of birth *

When you sign up...

You will have access to all our online competitions, discounted offers and can post comments on our site.

You will also receive The Weekender newsletter sent every Thursday - it’s full of fantastic offers and ideas for the weekend. You can update your email preferences in your account page when you log in.

Other newsletters and emails

Homes & Property Newsletter - Yes I want to receive the weekly email with all the latest news on property in the capital

Occasionally we would also like to send you relevant emails detailing specific offers either from ourselves or carefully selected partners. If you would prefer not to receive these then please tick the appropriate boxes below. We will never pass on your details.

I do not want to receive additional offers and information from the Evening Standard

I do not want to receive additional offers and information sent by Evening Standard on behalf of carefully selected partners

Terms and Conditions

* I have read, understood and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of Evening Standard

Registration

Mail Sent for Registration Confirmation.

A confirmation email has been sent. Please activate your account by clicking on the activation link sent in your mail box.

A judge held that the Home Office was acting unlawfully in licensing invasive brain experiments on marmosets at Cambridge University on the basis that "moderate" rather than "substantial" suffering was likely to be caused.

Mr Justice Mitting said the Home Office was relying on expert advice which understated the extent of the "pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm" that could be caused to animals used in experiments.

Government lawyers were granted leave to appeal against the finding.

The judge rejected other claims by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV), including an allegation that the staffing and monitoring arrangements for animals at the Cambridge research laboratories were inadequate.

After the ruling, a Home Office spokesman said: "The Home Office is obviously disappointed not to have successfully defended all of the grounds of claim and has been granted leave to appeal against the decisions in the instances where the judge had found in favour of the BUAV.

"The Home Office believes it has been rigorous in applying the strict criteria of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 with a view to making proper provision for the protection of animals used for experimental and other scientific purposes."

The BUAV said the Government had been found guilty of "turning a blind eye to substantial suffering of animals in Home Office-licensed experiments and consequently misleading the public over the extent of animal suffering in UK laboratories".

The court case was brought following a 10-month undercover investigation by BUAV at a Cambridge University neuroscience lab during 2000/2001, which revealed that the Home Office had assigned a "moderate" suffering category to experiments which included highly invasive procedures such as removing the top of a marmoset's head and part of the brain to induce strokes.

Guidelines state that any procedure which "may lead to a major departure from the animal's usual state of health and wellbeing" must be categorised as "substantial".