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ACTION ALERT Fetal Bovine Serum production.
I, Carlo Jochems, am a Dutch student of the Wageningen Agricultural
University investigating the mondial production of animal sera, like
fetal bovine serum and newborn calf serum. These sera are commonly
employed as the basis of culture medium, the fluid used for culturing
cells, tissues and organs in vitro - thereby replacing direct
experiments on animals. Interestingly, the Dutch Law on Animal
Experimentation (1977, 1985, 1996) defines animals used for the
production of their sera to be experimental animals.
In this regard, this investigation is a cooperation between the WAU -
Dep of Cattle Husbandry, the Utrecht State University - Dep of
Laboratory Animal Science, and the Dutch Veterinary Main Inspectorate
of the Ministry of Public Health. This thesis shall end with
recommendations regarding information (hardly any investigator seems
to be aware of the fact that fetal cows are - at least in part -
specially bred for the purpose of fetal bovine serum production
[Mexico]), and regarding policy (eg to start the registration of sera
importation). These recommendations shall be based mainly on an
ethical discussion of the use and production of animal sera. For
example, do I buy fetal bovine serum from cheap sources whilst being
produced from deliberately bred fetuses? Shall I use fetal bovine
serum or a serum from an adult animal? Do in vitro techniques
requiring serum for cell-growth still occupy the niche of 'animal
experiment alternative'?
Now, to get along with this investigation, I would like to request you
you you urgently if you could supply us as soon as possible with the
following information:
1. Does your country produce fetal bovine serum?
2. If yes to 1 , via offal or via deliberate breeding of fetal cows?
3. Which are the methods in your country used to harvest (protocol?) a
fetal calf?
4. Does your country produce newborn calf serum?
5. If yes to 4, which are the methods employed (protocol?) to harvest
the blood from newborns?
6. Are any other animal sera produced in your country, either for
research/commercial purposes and/or national use/exportation purposes?
Please, do not hesitate to supply us with information on animal sera
production ouside the scope of these specific questions! National
Institutes of Health, Animal Welfare Organisations, Veterinary
Institutes, Commercial Suppliers, Ethicists - every bit of information
is welcome! Note that the questions are mainly concerned with fetal
bovine and newborn calf serum, but we are also interested in the wide
variety of other sera, like horse serum.
Even if you have no information on this subject, there is still a
manner in which you you youmight help: we are in desperate need of
addresses c.q. fax-numbers of animal welfare organisations in Latin
America, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. So, if you know these, or if
you are willingly enough to search for the addresses, you would be a
great help also.
If the English language causes trouble to anyone wishing to respond,
we shall be glad to receive messages in Spanish, German or Dutch.
I would like to thank you very much for your time and cooperation,
eagerly awaiting your replies,
Carlo Jochems