§ Lord Lea of Crondallasked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress has been made on abolishing the "Lethal Dose 50" (LD50) test used in animal experimentation. [HL4361]
§ Lord Bassam of BrightonWe will vary, or revoke, any licence which authorises the use of the LD50 test (as defined by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Guideline 401) and which was issued since 5 September 1998. On this date, amendments to the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 came into effect.
We have accepted legal advice that Section 5(5) of the Act as amended, does not allow licensing of the LD50 test for the purpose of meeting international regulatory requirements. The general principle is that a test will be licensed only where there is no scientifically valid and reasonably practicable and accepted alternative.
142WAIn accord with this principle, we will also review all authorities to use the LD50 test in licences issued before September 1998.