Campaigners in Sidmouth held an information stall on Saturday, April 27 as part of an international week of action around World Day for Laboratory Animals (April 24).

The event aims to raise awareness of the millions of animals who suffer and die in experiments, and to call for better funding of more reliable and humane alternatives.

Although advanced methods are steadily replacing animal research, the law still requires animal tests before a product can be brought to market. Cats, dogs, rats, mice, guinea pigs, rabbits, monkeys and other animals are used to test new products, to study human disease and in the development of new drugs. They are even used in warfare experiments. Campaigners say this has to change.

Spokesperson Sharon Howe said: "We are calling for resources to be diverted away from outdated animal tests and into safe and effective non-animal methodologies. There also needs to be an immediate ban on all animal research which is not legally required or where a replacement already exists.

"A case in point is the notoriously crude LD50 test, which was invented in 1927 and involves force-feeding animals increasing doses of a chemical until half of them die. There is now an excellent human cell-based method available called AcutoX, yet the cruel and unnecessary LD50 is still being used. 

"Organisations such as Animal Free Research - which has a Centre of Excellence at Exeter University - are funding ground-breaking research into all the major human diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer's, and helping to train a new generation of scientists in modern techniques. Unlike the more well-known high street charities like the British Heart Foundation and Cancer UK, they do not endorse animal testing, and rely on public donations to support their valuable work. More information on their projects can be found at animalfreeresearch.org. A list of medical charities that test on animals and those that don't can be found at www.victimsofcharity.org."