Thank you to For Life On Earth for this summary of the 3Rs.
The 3Rs is now integrated into the 1986 Animals in Scientific Procedures Act, and entirely supports false claims that animal experiments have predictive value for human patients. So, unsurprisingly, the 3Rs is also supported by the leading PR organisation for animal experiments, ‘Understanding Animal Research’, here’s their 3Rs page: https://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/animals/three-rs
Not withstanding registered charities, which have no choice but to campaign within the 3Rs, most other campaigns against vivisection also make the mistake of falling over themselves to try and make the Government adhere to the 3Rs, without realising they are supporting a policy also pushed by animal experimenters: the 3Rs calls for animal numbers to be reduced, for the cruelty to be refined and for animal tests ‘to be replaced with an alternative whenever possible’ – making sure that animal tests and human-based research are classed as ‘alternatives’ for each other, when in truth they are opposites; animal tests have a 90% fail rate, human-based research comes with a track record of success. Common sense dictates that even if there were no human-based methods, abandoning failure is never dependent upon what else is available. Added to which, on average, validating one human-based method takes 7 years: just imagine how many hundreds of years it will take to validate – as human-based tests – the millions of animal tests which exist today. This 3Rs policy of ‘replacing with alternatives whenever possible’ does a fantastic job at keeping vivisectors in business.
Registered charities are exempt from paying income tax, so the Charities Commission confines these charities to limit their campaign actions to fit current Government policy: that animal experimentation works for human patients. This is why the Charities Commission limits registered charities to campaign solely within the outdated 3Rs policy, please see the summary below. Such registered charities include the RSPCA and Animal Free Research.
The 3Rs was established in 1959, for ‘humane experimental technique on animals‘. The 3Rs is overseen by the National Centre for 3Rs.
Ricky Gervais feels so passionately against the 3Rs, he recorded a conversation with medical doctor Ray Greek where they talk about this terrible policy, and how it is the main impediment to ending animal experiments, here’s that amazing film clip: https://twitter.com/ScarlettBeagle/status/1398311040568471553?s=20