Antivivisection groups are lobbying hard to get MPs to sign a parliamentary motion (EDM 92) calling for (yet another) independent inquiry into an animal research. But do they have any idea what they actually want?

We wrote to Europeans for Medical Progress, who are mentioned in this EDM, back in August 2005 to ask what the terms of reference for such an inquiry would be. The reply came back that “the format and terms of reference of the evaluation have yet to be finalised”. Since then, they have stopped responding to emails. Presumably they are still a little upset at our successful complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority exposing their inaccurate information.

So we wrote instead (three times) to Mike Hancock MP who tabled the EDM. For his first two replies he simply ignored our question. So we had to put it a little more bluntly, suggesting that he must surely have some idea of which issues he thought were not covered by all the independent inquiries we have had already.

But it seems Mike Hancock has no idea what he is asking for in this EDM either. His answer was for us to go back and talk to the scientists ‘on the other side’, presumably referring us back to Europeans for Medical Progress (or should it be ‘lack of progress’).

Of course those of us in the scientific community all understand the importance of the critical scientific evaluation of the results of all research studies - including those using animals. RDS recently posted an article on our website describing one possible approach (the full article is in a linked pdf).

The antivivisectionists are well aware of the multiple inquiries we have had already. They have no new arguments to examine. The sole purpose of this EDM is to waste time and attempt to undermine animal research.