IT MAY be a lame duck in political terms, but the outgoing US Congress has struck a blow against intimidation in the name of animal rights. Last week, the House of Representatives passed the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, which aims to protect researchers from violence and harassment. It also covers intimidation of individuals and companies who do business with organisations involved in animal experimentation.
鈥淚t also covers intimidation of those who do business with others who test on animals鈥�
Such tactics have been deployed to distressing effect by a group called Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty, or SHAC, which has targeted the animal testing firm Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) in both the UK and US. British law has already been amended to give police more powers to deal with intimidation by animal rights activists.
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The US arm of SHAC suffered a serious blow in March when six members were convicted in a New Jersey court for inciting threats and harassment against HLS staff and shareholders. One has been in jail since early October; the remaining five began their sentences last week.
However, obtaining these convictions required an extraordinary effort by the New Jersey authorities to demonstrate breaches of existing laws. 鈥淢any US attorneys would choose not to go to that trouble,鈥� claims Frankie Trull of the Foundation for Biomedical Research in Washington DC, who hopes the new law will make prosecutors鈥� jobs easier. 鈥淣ow it needs to be implemented,鈥� she says.