Achieving the achievable: a review of animals in politics

By Hollands, C.

The background to the passage through the British Parliament of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 is reviewed, with particular emphasis on the significance of Animal Welfare Year (1976/77) and the role of the Houghton/Platt Memorandum and the alliance formed by the British Veterinary Association, the Committee for the Reform of Animal Experimentation and the Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments. The importance of the new legislation is discussed, with particular reference to the restriction of pain, the reduction in the numbers of animals used the development and use of humane alternative methods in research, and public accountability.