China intends to include articles on animal welfare in the latest draft revision of a set of regulations on laboratory animals, which ban the abuse of animals and encourage ways to minimize their pain.

According to the draft, people conducting experiments should take care of animals instead of abusing or harming them.

He Zhengming, deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Society of Laboratory Animals, was quoted recently by China Youth Daily that animal welfare in the draft revision is the first step in the right direction.

The revised regulations encourage the use of substitutes for animals in scientific research in an effort to avoid unnecessary unease, pain and harm to animals if the results of the experiment are not affected.

The draft revision has been submitted to China's Ministry of Sciences and Technology, according to He, who also admitted that it is premature for China to formulate a law devoted to animal welfare.

But the expert believed China will improve animal welfare as the country progresses, according to the newspaper report.

 
(People's Daily  May 28, 2004)