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The US Department of Agriculture has always said it would be too expensive to
oversee the welfare of lab rats, mice and birds. But to settle a lawsuit brought by a college student
(Â鶹´«Ã½, 8 July, p 21), the USDA has agreed
to give them the same protection as larger animals. Scientists say most small
animals already come under other types of regulation and that the settlement
will just create paperwork. “This settlement is a capitulation to people who
would like to end animal research,” says Barbara Rich of the National
Association for Biomedical Research in Washington DC.