The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986

Research using animals in the UK comes under the Animal (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. The Home Office runs the regulatory system set up by the Act via the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Division.

Under the Act, research establishments have to be approved and scientists must prove they are suitably qualified, trained and experienced. Research projects are assessed to ensure the use of animals is justified. Also the number of animals and any suffering must be minimised.

There are around 30 Home Office inspectors for the 232 establishments permitted to carry out research using animals in the UK. This means each inspector has far fewer laboratories than counterparts in other countries, e.g. each US inspector has over 90 laboratories. UK inspectors make about 2500 visits to research establishments each year. About 2/3 of these visits are unannounced.

All institutions conducting research using animals must have a local ethical review process, which questions the necessity for the experiments. Funding bodies, such as the MRC and the Wellcome Trust, also have their own review of grant applications to ensure the animals aspects meet their criteria.

Three million animals are used in scientific procedures in Britain each year.  80% of these are used for medical, dental and veterinary research, the others are used for the protection of people e.g. workers in industry.

Over 80% of the animals used are rats or mice.  Dogs accounts for 0.25% and cats for 0.14% of the total.

The number of animals used is steadily falling through the use of alternative methods and improvements in  techniques, but the use of whole animals remains the only way to find answers to many problems, particularly the effects of new medicines and drugs.

Man has a moral and legal responsibility to protect his fellows, to prolong life and alleviate suffering.  In using animals to further these aims he must be conscious of the responsibility to keep and use those animals in the best possible ways.