Animal experiments rise to 4.12m

The number of animal experiments carried out in the UK has risen, despite a Government pledge to reduce animal use. In 2013, 4.12m procedures involving animals were started – an increase of 0.3%, or 11,600 procedures compared to 2012. Of these, 2.10m (51%) were undertaken to breed genetically modified (GM) animals, or animals with a harmful genetic mutation (HM), a 6% or 123,200 increase on 2012 figures. The remaining 2.02m (49%) of procedures were for purposes other than the breeding of GM and HM animals, a decrease of 5%, or 111,600 procedures on 2012. Mice (75%), fish (12%) and rats (6%) were the most commonly used species, but there has been fall in the use of birds, amphibians, cattle, goats and hamsters. The number of safety testing/toxicology procedures decreased by 0.5%, while non-toxicology procedures – including the fields of genetics, physiology, pharmaceutical research and development and therapeutics – were up 0.4%. “Seeing Britain’s animal experiments continue to rise beyond 4m is a devastating blow for animal welfare, but it also represents a crisis for the quality of our medical research because it shows we’re still locked in to failing animal models that can delay medical progress,” said Troy Seidle, Director of Research and Toxicology at the Humane Society International. “A primary reason is that much of our research is dominated by animal models of human disease that simply don’t work, and that has to change if we want better quality medicine.” Following the introduction of the 1986 Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act, total animal use in UK laboratories began to fall, but has steadily risen since 2001. “If the government is to have any chance of meeting its commitment to reduce the number of animals used in its research it must act soon to deal with the escalating levels of genetically altered production,” said Michelle Hudson-Shore, Scientific Programme Manager at FRAME (The Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments).