The British government's Home Office has essentially dismissed a ten-month undercover investigation by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV), which claimed that a Cambridge University primate research facility conducted unauthorized brain research that caused excessive suffering to lab animals. In a report titled, "Aspects of Non-human Primate Research at Cambridge University—A Review by the Chief Inspector," the government refuted the BUAV's investigation, finding "nothing seriously untoward" at the laboratory.
Following the May 2001 release of its undercover video, "Witness the Cutting Edge of British Medical Research," the BUAV accused Cambridge University of conducting highly invasive brain research on primates without proper approval. It alleged that the invasive research procedures depicted on the video violated the specific terms of Home Office licenses granted to the university, whereby the animals should only have experienced "moderate suffering."
The BUAV's video depicted animals with bleeding head wounds, severe bruises, various mental and physical disabilities. The animals were also shown vomiting and experiencing convulsions. The BUAV contended that the animals experienced "substantial" suffering, and urged for the university's license to be revoked.
But the Home Office's chief inspector concluded that, despite a "few technical infringements," the charges brought forth by the BUAV were unsubstantiated and the university's licenses have been awarded under the proper severity bands. The inspector's report claimed that the university's research conformed to published definitions of severity limits.
In a response to the Home Office, The BUAV stated that the organization "is utterly appalled and deeply angered by the Home Office's complete dismissal of overwhelming evidence of animal suffering. Unsurprisingly the Inspectorate has yet again exonerated itself of any wrongdoing in the face of indisputable evidence to the contrary."
Sources: Cambridge News (February 12, 2003), BUAV, Home Office
