§ Mr. Galeasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will issue guidance on the minimisation of animal suffering in the conduct of the Draize eye irritancy test.
§ Mr. HurdGuidelines on this subject have been prepared and recently issued to establishments where this testing is carried out. Copies of the guidelines have been placed in the Library.
Because of the importance of the eye, and its vulnerability to damage, safety testing of substances which may come into contact with the eye is essential and to date no satisfactory replacement for the Draize eye test exists. None the less, there is much which can be done to minimise the use of animals in the test and any suffering which may occur. The guidelines will ensure the adoption of best practice, covering the use of prior screening in vitro and with a single animal, use of reduced doses and dilution of test materials, inspection and withdrawal of animals from study and the use of analgesics. I am sure that the guidelines—which have been endorsed by the Advisory Committee on Animal Experiments— will result in the improvement of animal welfare whilst allowing essential safety testing to continue.