§ Mr. Trippierasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the type of experiment that is taking place at the animal physiology institute at Babraham, near Cambridge, and the necessity of such experiments being carried out on animals, in particular to a sheep with a plug in its side.
§ Mr. MacfarlaneThe main function of the institute is to improve basic knowledge of the physiology and biochemistry of farm livestock. Some parts of the institute's research programme involve experiments in animals. Other techniques are used whenever possible. In the experiment mentioned, the plug is inserted so that the contents of the sheep's stomach can be sampled. This is an essential part of research into digestion, the purpose of which is to increase the understanding of the way sheep and cattle feed.