Clive Hollands

Clive Thomas Patrick Hollands (26 April 1929 – 16 November 1996) was an English animal protectionism activist and anti-vivisectionist who campaigned to improve animal welfare laws.

Biography

Hollands was educated at St Mary's College in Liverpool. He served in the Royal Navy from 1946 to 1953. In the 1960s he took interest in animal welfare and realized that since most legislation results from pressure on Government to act, it is important for animal welfare organisations to become unified. Hollands joined the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Vivisection in 1966 as Assistant Secretary under Harvey Metcalfe. He became its secretary in 1970 and director in 1988.

Hollands was an anti-vivisectionist. He supported the abolishment of animal experimentation but felt it was unrealistic to gain governmental support so worked to reform animal welfare laws. He was Secretary of the Committee for the Reform of Animal Experimentation. He was a member of the Farm Animal Welfare Council. He commented that the "best definition of animal welfare... embraces the concept of dignity: it means: according to animals the natural dignity which is their due as living sentient creatures".

Hollands was a vice-president of the RSPCA (1980–1982) and an advisory director of the World Society for the Protection of Animals. In recognition of his service to animal welfare, Hollands was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1995. Their campaign was successful as the Labour Party, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats published some commitments for the first time. All parties included a commitment to legislate a replacement for the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876 in their 1979 election manifestos. This led to the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act of 1986. In 1983, CRAE formed an alliance with the British Veterinary Association (BVA) and FRAME. CRAE was composed of mostly anti-vivisectionists but they campaigned for reform, not abolition of animal experimentation. By 1985 many of their suggestions had been incorporated into the government's proposals for new legislation.

He a member of the Animal Procedures Committee that was created by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

Selected publications

Compassion is the Bugler: The Struggle for Animal Rights (1980) Animal Rights in the Political Arena In Peter Singer. In Defense of Animals (1985) The Animals (scientific procedures) Act 1986 (The Lancet, 1986) Achieving the Achievable: A Review of Animals in Politics (Alternatives to Laboratory Animals, 1995)