In the dispute over animal experiments in medical research, Michael Müller (SPD) prevailed in the Senate. According to Tagesspiegel information, the red-red-green state government voted on Tuesday for the submission by the governing mayor, who is also a science senator. The committee to be heard before laboratory experiments with animals is now likely to be dominated by scientists again.
The Justice Senator Dirk Behrendt (Greens), who is responsible for the Animal Experiments Commission, had previously caused a lot of trouble because he wanted to change the composition of the committee.
Müller intervened, the Senate followed his suggestion: Now two planned commissions are to be filled with four researchers and four animal rights activists each. To this end, a scientist is appointed chairman, who should have double voting rights – ergo, in the event of a dispute, the researchers and not the animal rights activists would have the majority.
“This is a very good regulation to significantly upgrade animal welfare and to allow series of experiments in the interests of science,” said Müller. Senator Behrendt also reported diplomatically: “Previously there were only two, now there are four per commission. We are thus significantly strengthening animal welfare in Berlin and at the same time enabling important research work.”
Green politician Behrendt had prepared the following last week: The two new committees should each include an ethicist, a biostatistician, two scientists, but four animal rights activists. Senate chief Müller then called Behrendt’s announcement in the plenary session of the House of Representatives only an “intermediate result” that “a new appointment must be made for the future”.
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Before that, Müller’s State Secretary for Science Steffen Krach (SPD) and Senator Behrendt had publicly argued. Krach was furious because Behrendt was unimpressed by the fire letters from research.
20 research applications have remained – also on Covid-19
As reported, the heads of well-known scientific institutions, including the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) and the Charité, then the boards of large pharmaceutical companies, such as Bayer and Pfizer, turned to the Senate. The fire letters warned indirectly that Behrendt’s policies could endanger medical research in Berlin: although animal experiments are being avoided, they are still necessary in medical research.
Whether the first of the two commissions can start on November 26th as announced by Behrendt is questionable. So far, 20 research projects are waiting for approval, including a Covid-19 project. Doctors from Charité and RKI said on Tuesday that they were nevertheless relieved at this turnaround.
