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In
2001, the US Department of Agriculture
agreed to write regulations to cover
rats, mice, and birds under the Animal
Welfare Act in the out-of-court settlement
of a lawsuit brought by animal rights
activists committed to ending the use
of animals in research.
Although
these animals are not currently covered
under the AWA, they are protected under
the guidelines of the National Institutes
of Health and the Association for Assessment
and Accreditation of Laboratory Care
International. On February 12, in recognition
of this protection, the US Senate approved
by unanimous consent an amendment to
the Farm Bill that would permanently
exclude rats, mice, and birds from the
regulatory provisions of the AWA.
This
move promises to maintain a rational,
humane, and fiscally-responsible biomedical
research environment involving animals.
However, the House of Representatives
version of the Farm Bill does not include
such language and the House-Senate conference
committee must decide whether to include
the Helms language in the version of
the bill submitted to President Bush
for his signature.
Adoption
of the Helms amendment as a part of
the farm bill promises to protect the
biomedical research community from unwarranted
and cost prohibitive oversight by USDA.ū
Failure to include the Helms amendment
in the final version of the bill will
force the USDA to propose a rule by
which rats, mice and birds will be brought
under the agency of the AWA, a costly
endeavor for taxpayers and a regulation
nightmare for scientists. Animal rights
activists will certainly deluge conference
committee members with requests to exclude
the Helms provision from the bill.
It is therefore imperative that all
Americans and especially constituents
from the home states of conferees -
who care about the health and welfare
of people in the U.S. and the world
over contact conferees expressing their
firm belief that the Helms amendment
appear in the final version of the farm
bill. A list of potential conferees
is included at the end of this alert.
Act Now!
Write your letters now!
The
House-Senate conference committee is
deciding on the final version of the
farm bill right now. Time is of the
essence! Using the points enumerated
below, write letters to the conferees
and ask them to include the amendment
in the final bill because additional
oversight of the biomedical research
community is not necessary.
1.
USDA oversight is not necessary because
existing NIH powers and animal care
and use committees that are a federally
mandated part in all research programs
go as far as possible in the effort
to conduct humane animal research;
2.The
inclusion of rats, mice and birds in
the AWA will compromise the responsible
enforcement of the AWA by overtaxing
the budget and manpower of the US Department
of Agriculture enforcement arm.
Send
letters via fax and follow with a telephone
call a day or two later. Letters and
calls from constituents are especially
valuable, but conferees generally recognize
that they represent a broader spectrum
of voters as they seek compromise in
this reconciliation committee.
House-Senate conference committee
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