Boyd Group


The Boyd Group is a Britain-based, independent think tank considering issues relating to animal testing.

Background

The group was founded in 1992, the idea forming from a dialogue between Colin Blakemore, 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.

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 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. Occasionally, the group may communicate with other bodies, such as Pro-Test.
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 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:

Membership

The group had, according to Blakemore in 2002, "about 25 member organisations" including animal welfare 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Ward has since withdrawn from the Boyd Group, believing it had become "stalemated", but in 2006 continued to defend his participation in "one of the few places where moderate activists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?
  • Advancing refinement of laboratory animal use
  • The use of animals for testing cosmetics
  • Genetic engineering: animal welfare and ethics
  • The use of non-human primates in research and testing
  • The use of animals in testing household products
  • ''Boyd Group/RSPCA: Categorising the severity of scientific procedures on animals''