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Experts claim that testing drugs on dogs in Spain is ‘essential’
Animal testing is vigorously regulated in Spain but however unpleasant a concept, many experts believe it is essential to advance science and in particular, cures for chronic diseases. The issue has made the headlines this week as the University of Barcelona (UB) plans to sacrifice 38 Beagle puppies in order to examine their organs in the hope of finding treatments for fibrotic diseases.
According to Patri Vergara, professor at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at UB, animal testing in Spain is “essential”.
The controversy lies even deeper, however, as the contract for the experiments was awarded to Vivotecnia, a laboratory that is currently under investigation for alleged animal abuse. The company has justified the testing on puppies by highlighting the fact that last week, “we learned that the first kidney transplant from a pig to a human being has been carried out, and no one has been shocked.
“We see the image of a dog and we are shocked, but in recent decades medical advances have increased life expectancy, and this is partly thanks to animal testing,” a Vivotecnia spokesperson added.
The Spanish government has insisted that testing sites are rigorously controlled and that animal welfare is a priority. To this end, new drugs are first tested on rodents, then on dogs, in accordance with the law.
However, Ms Vergara insists that animals “must be sacrificed” if the researchers are to comprehensively analyse the various internal organs.
The mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, has openly voiced her opposition to animal testing, appealing to the Minister of Climate Action to avoid the sacrifice of the puppies.
“Today I have asked Minister Teresa Jordà by letter to avoid the sacrifice of 38 Beagle puppies in the pharmacological study that Vivotecnia is promoting on behalf of the Science Park. We all remember the horrible images of animal abuse that this company caused in Madrid,” she wrote on her Instagram account.
A coalition of politicians, including a Member of European Parliament and 19 political parties worldwide, have sent an open letter urging the University of Barcelona to grant an immediate stay of execution to the beagle puppies, and to date almost 300,000 people have signed the petition to save the puppies.
At the moment, the European Union allocates 0.12% of its science budget to finding alternative methods for experimenting on animals.
Image 1: Archive
Images 2 & 3: Cruelty Free International
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