Welfare groups are calling for an urgent public debate on animal testing amid claims millions of creatures are being killed or maimed every year in Australia in the name of science.
New figures published by the NSW government's advisory body, the Animal Research Review Panel, show the number of animals killed in NSW experiments rose by more than 1,000 to 8,813 during 2006-2007.
The NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) said the figures were not surprising, and that compliance with international standards meant the number of animals affected was unlikely to fall.
The Australian Association for Humane Research estimates more than six million animals are used in medical and pharmaceutical trials in Australia annually, with at least 100,000 of those animals dying.
"This is going on daily and we really do need the community to be aware of what is being done in their name and have a real public debate about the ethics of this industry," Glenys Oogjes, executive director of the Animals Australia campaign group, said.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the RSPCA have both demanded a halt to animal testing despite claims by government officials there is no alternative.
"The European Union has a committee designed just to ensure animal tests are being moved away from, and to validate alternatives. Australia has not changed," PETA spokesman Jason Barker said.
"We would like to see the number of animals used in testing reduced, in fact, we want to see animals replaced with other techniques such as cell, tissue and organic cultures and even human volunteers, where appropriate," RSPCA spokeswoman Lisa Chalk said.
The DPI said it would not change its policy to reduce animal deaths in the near future.
"If we are to have non-animal testing for a certain product, that has to be approved on an international level and that process takes a long time," DPI spokesman Ross Burton said.
However, NSW scientists are already pioneering alternative methods.
Dr Laura Batmanian, from Sydney University's Medicine Faculty, has developed a computer simulation to scrap tests on 250 rabbits a year.
"There is now solid evidence that not only are non-animal technologies more humane but they also produce scientifically valid data," NSW Greens MP and animal welfare spokeswoman Lee Rhiannon said.
The Body Shop, which claims none of its products are tested on animals, said there were alternatives to animal testing for cosmetics.
Front page
RSS Feed