Scientific Procedures on Living Animals: 2002 Statistics (Hansard, 17 July 2003)

§ Baroness Scotland of Asthal

We wish to announce that the 2002 statistics of scientific procedure on living animals in Great Britain will be published as a Command Paper on 18 July. Copies will be placed in the House Library in the usual way.

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The number of scientific procedures licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and started in 2002 was just over 2.73 million, a rise of about 110,000 (4.2 per cent) on 2001. This increase is not seen as beyond the bounds of normal year-on-year fluctuations, and the Government have no anxieties or concerns arising from the detail of the statistics.

A familiar pattern is evident. Mice, rats and other rodents were used in the majority of procedure—84 per cent of the total. Most of the remainder used birds (5 per cent of all procedures), and fish (7 per cent). Dogs, cats, horses and non-human primates, afforded special protection by the Act, were collectively used in fewer than 1 per cent of the procedures.

There was a slight decrease in the proportion of procedures using genetically normal animals (65 per cent as against 67 per cent in 2001), and a small increase in the proportion of procedures using those which had been genetically modified (26 per cent as against 24 per cent in 2001). This continues a trend apparent in recent years, though the variations are on this occasion minimal. It is worth recording that only one in three of all the recorded procedures involving genetically modified animals were for purposes other than breeding.

Non-toxicological procedures accounted for about 82 per cent of those carried out in 2002, with the main areas of use being for immunological studies and pharmaceutical research and development. Of the procedures for toxicological purposes, 61 per cent were for pharmacological safety and efficacy studies, and most were performed to conform with regulatory requirements.

About 40 per cent of all procedures used some form of anaesthesia to alleviate the severity of the interventions. For many of the remaining procedures the use of anaesthesia would have increased the animal welfare cost of the procedure.

Over 99 per cent of procedures carried out on animals listed in Schedule 2 to the 1986 Act involved use of animals acquired from designated sources in the United Kingdom.

We should point out in relation to the statistics that the Home Office, as regulatory authority under the 1986 Act, has no control over the overall amount of animal research and testing which takes place. We do nevertheless ensure, in carrying out our licensing function, that the provisions of the Act are rigorously applied in each programme of work. In particular we always insist in every case upon full application of the 3Rs—replacement of animals where possible, and where they must be used, reduction to a minimum of their numbers and refinement of the procedures to minimise suffering. To that end, all licence applications are carefully assessed by the professional Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate, which then closely monitors work in progress to ensure compliance with licence authorities, and with the related codes of practice concerning standards of care and accommodation for the animals.