The Kennel Club has welcomed the release of a Home Office consultation to review the level of secrecy involved in legislation on scientific experiments on animals, and believes that greater transparency is needed to protect animal welfare.

The consultation will review Section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA), which the Kennel Club says is a step in the right direction in increasing transparency and ending the ban on sharing information on animal experiments.

The Kennel Club previously responded to the transposition of the EU Directive 2010/63/EU consultation, which requires the UK and all other Member States to fully transpose the legislation into their domestic law by January 2015. One of the concerns the Kennel Club raised in its response to the consultation was the amendment of Section 24 to better improve transparency and information sharing.

The current provisions under Section 24 mean that the Home Office cannot disclose or release information surrounding animal experiments received under ASPA even when the provider has no objection. Currently, individuals who share this information risk committing a criminal offence carrying up to two years’ imprisonment and an unlimited fine.

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said: “The Kennel Club calls on the government to amend Section 24 to facilitate the sharing of information on animal experiments which will promote openness and transparency in the industry, something that is of course paramount when animal welfare is involved.

“Section 24 prevents the public from being openly informed about what is being done in animal experiments and the justification for these tests.

“The Kennel Club does accept the need to retain confidentiality clauses, however, that protect intellectual property as well as the health and safety of particular people and places involved in animal research.

“We will be submitting a response to the consultation which will call for an amendment of Section 24 to allow for information to be disclosed in order to assist public understanding of the use of animals in scientific experiments whilst taking into consideration not compromising safety and commercially sensitive data. Such a change would help reaffirm that the Coalition government is genuinely dedicated to its commitment of promoting a more open and transparent environment surrounding animal testing.”

The deadline to respond to the consultation is June 13^th. For more details, visit www.gov.uk/government/consultations/section-24-of-the-animals-scientific-procedures-act-1986.