UAR debates Cruelty Free International on BBC Radio 4 Today
Ahead of today’s (28 April 2025) Westminster Hall debate on the Parliamentary petition, “Ban immediately the use of dogs in scientific and regulatory procedures”, Understanding Animal Research debated Cruelty Free International (CFI) on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
Chris Magee, UAR Head of Media and Policy, appeared alongside Emma Grange, CFI Director of Science and Regulatory Affairs, in a live debate on the use of dogs in scientific research.
Chris highlighted that dogs are overwhelmingly used in mild procedures, such as taking a blood sample, to test the safety of new medicines before being trialled in human volunteers in clinical trials. Three-quarters of procedures involving dogs are classified as mild, while 25% are deemed moderate. In 2023, only four procedures involving dogs were severe.
Before new medicines are tested in humans, they must undergo a series of animal and non-animal tests to ensure they are safe. The tests involving dogs are based on internationally agreed-upon protocols that look at how a drug behaves in a whole living organism. Animals are only ever used in scientific research when a viable non-animal alternative is not available.
The petition has gained more than 200,000 signatures and contains incorrect figures and baseless claims of animal abuse. The government has already responded to the petition, saying that it doesn’t agree with it and that further technological advancement will be needed to replace animals.
Both the petition and government response can be found here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/705384
The BBC Radio 4 Today broadcast can be listened to here at the 2:54:29 timestamp: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002bhj6
Information on how dogs are used at MBR Acres can be found here: https://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/beaglewiki
More information on how dogs are used in research can be found here: https://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/using-animals-in-scientific-research/animal-research-species/dog
Last edited: 1 May 2025 13:17
