Scientists urged UK MEPs to support EU Agriculture committee report

EmailingEarly in May 2009 the full European Parliament voted on the revised Directive on animal experiments. Ahead of the vote, scientists across the UK were urged to contact their Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to ask them to support the Agriculture committee’s report.

The report, which is essentially a list of amendments to the Commission’s proposed Directive, contains a number of substantial improvements. Many of the amendments proposed by the Agriculture Committee address the concerns of the UK bioscience sector.  A few, however, introduce new problems. Nonetheless, the consensus from the scientific community is that the report is balanced and an acceptable compromise.

The report was adopted by the full European Parliament at its first reading in May, by an overwhelming majority of 84% of MEPs.

Animal rights groups will be lobbying heavily against the improvements made by the Agriculture committee, as well as for additional restrictions and burdens on animal research.

If the Agriculture committee report had not got voted through, we would have lost everything we had worked for in the preceding four months. We would have gone back to square one, with all the problems of the original Commission proposal. This affects us all and would put the future of bioscience across Europe at risk.

Regional MEPs have a duty to listen to the views of their constituents. Letters and emails from constituents have already made a real difference. MEPs held group meetings to decide how to vote on this report before the end of April. You can find your region’s MEPs and their contact details from the UK Office of the European Parliament.

Your emails

  • Must be short
  • Tell MEPs that you’re writing about the revision of EU Directive 86/609 on animal experiments. As their constituent you ask that they take your views into account.
  • Ask them to vote in support of the Agriculture committee report in the plenary vote in May. Mention that there are still problems with this report, but that it is reasonable compromise.
  • Tell them who you are, where you work, your area of research and the role animal research plays in your work in particular and in scientific and medical progress in general.
  • Remind them that introducing restrictions on animal research does not actually benefit animal welfare and could stifle vital research.

Please send us a copy of the emails you send to your MEPs and any reponse you get from them.

 

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