Boyd Group
Encyclopedia
The Boyd Group is a British based, independent think tank
considering issues relating to animal testing
.
, a strong advocate of animal testing and subsequently chief executive of the Medical Research Council
, and Les Ward, then director of the anti-vivisection
group, Advocates for Animals
. The group is named after its chairman, Kenneth Boyd, a professor of medical ethics
at the University of Edinburgh
.
.
Patrick Bateson
has said of the group:
The Boyd Group has been criticized by some anti-vivisection organisations. Representatives of the National Anti-Vivisection Society
(NAVS) told a House of Lords
select committee the Boyd Group is a "talking shop
" with a "pre-set agenda." However, Les Ward defended Advocates for Animals' membership of the group and the effectiveness of a collaborative approach:
groups, anti-vivisectionist groups, charitable bodies, government, industry, veterinarians, academic scientists and philosophers. The membership includes both expert individuals and those nominated by, and representative of, groups or societies. The group invites applications for membership, but excluding only individuals and groups that "support violent activity or break the criminal law". Identified members, past and present, include:
The Boyd Group lacks representation from a number of large anti-vivisectionist organisations, with Blakemore admitting their "credibility is reduced because of that". Both Ward and Blakemore have expressed a wish to include more of these organisations, including BUAV, NAVS, PETA
and Animal Aid
.
Ward has since withdrawn from the Boyd Group, believing it had become "stalemate
d", but in 2006 continued to defend his participation in "one of the few places where moderate activists and moderate scientists sat down and talked things over."
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
considering issues relating to animal testing
Animal testing
Animal testing, also known as animal experimentation, animal research, and in vivo testing, is the use of non-human animals in experiments. Worldwide it is estimated that the number of vertebrate animals—from zebrafish to non-human primates—ranges from the tens of millions to more than 100 million...
.
Background
The group was founded in 1992, the idea forming from a dialogue between Colin BlakemoreColin Blakemore
Professor Colin Blakemore, Ph.D., FRS, FMedSci, HonFSB, HonFRCP, is a British neurobiologist who is Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Oxford and University of Warwick specialising in vision and the development of the brain. He was formerly Chief Executive of the British Medical...
, a strong advocate of animal testing and subsequently chief executive of the Medical Research Council
Medical Research Council (UK)
The Medical Research Council is a publicly-funded agency responsible for co-ordinating and funding medical research in the United Kingdom. It is one of seven Research Councils in the UK and is answerable to, although politically independent from, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills...
, and Les Ward, then director of the anti-vivisection
Vivisection
Vivisection is defined as surgery conducted for experimental purposes on a living organism, typically animals with a central nervous system, to view living internal structure...
group, Advocates for Animals
Advocates for Animals
OneKind is a campaigning animal welfare charity based in Edinburgh and operating worldwide. The organisation works through high-profile public campaigns, political lobbying, investigations, formal research and public education....
. The group is named after its chairman, Kenneth Boyd, a professor of medical ethics
Medical ethics
Medical ethics is a system of moral principles that apply values and judgments to the practice of medicine. As a scholarly discipline, medical ethics encompasses its practical application in clinical settings as well as work on its history, philosophy, theology, and sociology.-History:Historically,...
at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
.
Objectives and approach
The groups states its primary objective is to act as a "forum for open exchange of views" on "issues of concern" to its membership and, whenever possible, form consensus and make recommendations. However, due to the diverse membership, the group will often fail to find consensus. In these situations, they aim to publish "an agreed account of where members (as people familiar with the issues) differ from one another, regarding what they consider to be the relevant facts, the best interpretation of these facts and relevant moral arguments". Issues for debate are raised by members, then discussed by the group (or a sub-group). Occasionally, the group may communicate with other bodies, such as Pro-TestPro-Test
Pro-Test is a British group that promotes and supports animal testing in medical research. It was founded on January 29, 2006 to counter SPEAK, an animal-rights campaign opposing the construction by Oxford University of a biomedical and animal-research facility, which SPEAK believes may include a...
.
Patrick Bateson
Patrick Bateson
Sir Patrick Bateson, FRS is an English biologist and science writer. Bateson is emeritus professor of ethology at Cambridge University and president of the Zoological Society of London since 2004....
has said of the group:
The Boyd Group has been criticized by some anti-vivisection organisations. Representatives of the National Anti-Vivisection Society
National Anti-Vivisection Society
The National Anti-Vivisection Society, is a national, not-for-profit animal welfare organization based in London whose purpose is to eliminate product testing, education and biomedical research on animals....
(NAVS) told a House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
select committee the Boyd Group is a "talking shop
Talking shop
A talking shop or debating society is an organisation or place where discussion is the main activity, with no decisions or actions necessarily arising from the discussion. Talking shops may be considered unproductive, bureaucratic or self-serving and so may lack respect and power...
" with a "pre-set agenda." However, Les Ward defended Advocates for Animals' membership of the group and the effectiveness of a collaborative approach:
Membership
The group had, according to Blakemore in 2002, "about 25 member organisations" including animal welfareAnimal welfare
Animal welfare is the physical and psychological well-being of animals.The term animal welfare can also mean human concern for animal welfare or a position in a debate on animal ethics and animal rights...
groups, anti-vivisectionist groups, charitable bodies, government, industry, veterinarians, academic scientists and philosophers. The membership includes both expert individuals and those nominated by, and representative of, groups or societies. The group invites applications for membership, but excluding only individuals and groups that "support violent activity or break the criminal law". Identified members, past and present, include:
- Professor Colin Blakemore
- Professor Kenneth Boyd
- Bioscience Federation's Animal Science Group
- Professor Stephen ClarkStephen Clark- Government :* Stephen Clark , NYS Treasurer 1856–1857* Stephen P. Clark , Mayor of Miami* Steve Clark , Canadian politician- Arts and recreation :...
- Dr Robert Hubrecht
- Advocates for AnimalsAdvocates for AnimalsOneKind is a campaigning animal welfare charity based in Edinburgh and operating worldwide. The organisation works through high-profile public campaigns, political lobbying, investigations, formal research and public education....
- RSPCA
- Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical ExperimentsFund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical ExperimentsFund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments ' is a charity based in Nottingham, UK.FRAME promotes consideration of the ethical and scientific issues involved in the use of laboratory animals for medical research, and the adoption of the Three Rs strategy of alternatives to animal...
- The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry
- Professor Patrick Bateson
The Boyd Group lacks representation from a number of large anti-vivisectionist organisations, with Blakemore admitting their "credibility is reduced because of that". Both Ward and Blakemore have expressed a wish to include more of these organisations, including BUAV, NAVS, PETA
Peta
Peta can refer to:* peta-, an SI prefix denoting a factor of 1015* Peta, Greece, a town in Greece* Peta, the Pāli word for a Preta, or hungry ghost in Buddhism* Peta Wilson, an Australian actress and model* Peta Todd, English glamour model...
and Animal Aid
Animal Aid
Animal Aid, founded in 1977, is a British animal rights organisation. The group campaigns peacefully against all forms of animal abuse and promotes a cruelty-free lifestyle. It also investigates and exposes animal cruelty....
.
Ward has since withdrawn from the Boyd Group, believing it had become "stalemate
Stalemate
Stalemate is a situation in chess where the player whose turn it is to move is not in check but has no legal moves. A stalemate ends the game in a draw. Stalemate is covered in the rules of chess....
d", but in 2006 continued to defend his participation in "one of the few places where moderate activists and moderate scientists sat down and talked things over."
Publications
- Ethical review of research involving animals: a role for institutional ethics committees? (March 1995)
- Advancing refinement of laboratory animal use (April 1998)
- The use of animals for testing cosmetics (July 1998)
- Genetic engineering: animal welfare and ethics (September 1999)
- The use of non-human primates in research and testing (June 2002)
- The use of animals in testing household products (December 2002)
- Boyd Group/RSPCA: Categorising the severity of scientific procedures on animals (July 2004)
See also
- Animal Procedures CommitteeAnimal Procedures CommitteeThe Animal Procedures Committee advises the British Home Secretary on matters related to animal testing in the UK. The function of the committee was made a statutory requirement by the Animals Act 1986 , which mandates that it should have at least 12 members, excluding the chair...
- Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986The Animals Act 1986 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed in 1986, which regulates the use of laboratory animals in the UK. The Act permits experiments to be carried out on animals, including procedures involving vivisection, if certain criteria are met...
- Animal Liberation FrontAnimal Liberation FrontThe Animal Liberation Front is an international, underground leaderless resistance that engages in illegal direct action in pursuit of animal liberation...
- Animal liberation movementAnimal liberation movementThe animal-liberation movement, sometimes called the animal-rights movement, animal personhood, or animal-advocacy movement, is a social movement which seeks an end to the rigid moral and legal distinction drawn between human and non-human animals, an end to the status of animals as property, and...
- Animal testingAnimal testingAnimal testing, also known as animal experimentation, animal research, and in vivo testing, is the use of non-human animals in experiments. Worldwide it is estimated that the number of vertebrate animals—from zebrafish to non-human primates—ranges from the tens of millions to more than 100 million...
- Animal rightsAnimal rightsAnimal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...