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Euro Parliament strikes balance between animal welfare and vital research - Lyon
September 8, 2010 1:14 PM
George Lyon, Liberal Democrat MEP for Scotland, has welcomed today's vote in the European Parliament that paves the way for better welfare standards for animals involved in vital medical and veterinary research.
Mr Lyon argued in a lively debate in Strasbourg that a balance must be struck between the rights of animals and the need for society to find cures for devastating diseases.
Commenting, Mr Lyon said:
"European legislation governing the use of animals in medical research dated back to 1986 and was in the need of revision.
"In doing so, the European Parliament has found the right balance between an animal's right to a life free from unnecessary distress, and the need for the advancement of scientific research into cures for deadly diseases.
"The new rules mean that Scotland will retain our existing high animal welfare standards but compel Member States that are lagging behind to raise their game.
"It is unfortunate that the Green group decided to play politics with this issue which threatened to derail this much needed update to EU law.
"Thankfully, MEPs saw through the game playing, voted down their amendments and passed what I believe to be well thought out and comprehensive regulations."
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