Barbara Davies, a spokeswoman for the Royal Defence Society, explains why the scientists have today taken their stand against violence by animal rights extremists

Today, 500 scientists have put their names to a declaration backing animal research. How many researchers work in the field in the UK?

There are about 3,000 scientists who hold licences to conduct animal research in the UK. We have only just started gathering signatures and the 500 signatures we have so far are from leading UK scientists and doctors.

How much is the research and its associated industries worth to the UK economy?

The pharmaceutical industry spends about £9 million every day on research and development. About 5 per cent of this involves animals. Nearly two thirds (64 per cent) of UK animal procedures are carried out in universities and other non-commercial laboratories.

What kind of diseases are they researching, and why is there no alternative to using live animals?

Research is conducted into serious genetic conditions such as cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy; neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease; Third World killers such as malaria and AIDS, as well as scourges of developed countries such as heart disease, strokes and cancer.

We need to use animals because these are complex disorders and there is a limit to the information that can be obtained from isolated tissues or computer models, and a limit to the research that can be conducted ethically on humans.

Aren't different animals, well...different?

All mammals are descended from common ancestors, and one result of this is that humans are biologically very similar to other mammals. All mammals, including humans, have the same organs - heart, lungs, kidneys, liver etc - performing the same functions and controlled by the same mechanisms, via the blood stream and nervous system. Of course there are minor differences, but these are far outweighed by the remarkable similarities.

What has been learned, specifically, from tests on guinea pigs?

Research using guinea pigs contributed to 23 Nobel prizes for medicine. It led to the discovery of Vitamin C, the tuberculosis bacterium and adrenaline. Guinea pigs were used in development of diphtheria vaccines, TB replacement heart valves, blood transfusion, kidney dialysis, antibiotics, anticoagulants and asthma medicines. Today, guinea pigs are used mostly in research and testing to develop new medicines.

What will happen if more British firms are forced out of business?

Ultimately research would move overseas where the regulations may be less strict. This would be bad for the animals, for UK science and for industry. However, provided sufficient resources are available, we are hopeful that new laws introduced recently will offer better protection from animal rights extremists.

How does Britain's record on animal welfare compare with that of Europe, the US and emerging economies?

The British record on animal welfare is very good. We are a nation of animal lovers, and this applies equally to scientists. The carers who look after the animals used in research do that job because they love animals.

In addition, there are very strict laws that safeguard animal welfare in the laboratory. The researchers have no reason to mistreat the animals and good reason for treating them well, because the use of unhealthy, stressed or frightened animals would reduce the reliability of an experiments results. Researchers make sure that their animals are well fed, well housed and kept free of infections and other illnesses.

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