A broad spectrum of erudite opinion was expressed within the Working Party. Syngenta's Central Toxicology Laboratory was represented, as were a number of different university research centres using animals in research. Non-governmental organisations seeking the abolition of animal experimentation also participated.

The report recognises that developments in drug and toxicity research, including advances in toxicogenomics, and stem cell research, are happening very quickly and therefore a continual review of current assumptions which allow animal testing to continue is necessary. Nonetheless, its conclusions largely go no further than to reiterate the need for the 'Three Rs' - Reduce, Refine and Replace the use of animals.

Among the more interesting recommendations are that: government regulators (the Animal Procedures Committee) should re-define the terms of their cost-benefit analysis; the government should publish more information about the project licences they issue (currently brief abstracts giving little information); researchers should have to submit retrospective, as well as prospective data on the welfare of the experimental animals; and that journals should require a standard section in papers describing how the researchers' experiments complied with the Three Rs requirement. 

Nuffield Council on Bioethics, 'The ethics of research involving animals', May 2005, 335pp, full report can be downloaded from www.nuffieldbioethics.org, cost of hard copies depends on your location £10 (Europe), £15 (outside Europe), free (developing countries). Order form is available at www.nuffieldbioethics.org/go/publications/orderform. Or contact bioethics@nuffieldbioethics.org, tel +44 (0) 7681 9619, fax +44 (0) 7637 1712.