Facts and Figures | CMP/MORI research 2005

ANIMAL RESEARCH FACTS AND FIGURES

Statistics
Just under 2.9 million scientific procedures were started in 2005, a rise of about 41,300 (1.4 per cent) on 2004. This is the same level as in the 1950s.

Mice, rats and other rodents were used in 85 per cent of procedures. Most of the remainder used birds (4 per cent), and fish (8 per cent). Dogs, cats, horses and non-human primates were used in less than 1 per cent of procedures.

33 per cent of procedures involved genetically modified animals, of which 96 per cent used rodents and most of the remainder were fish. About two-thirds (66%) of all genetically modified animals were used for maintaining breeding colonies, not for experiments.

Around 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 been more traumatic than the procedure itself.

Nearly 12 per cent of procedures were required to comply with legislation or other regulation, for example by the Medicines Act. All new prescription medicines must be studied in animals before they can be tested and used in people.

Almost 43 per cent of procedures took place at universities and medical schools, 31 per cent at companies. The rest were at public health laboratories, NHS hospitals, government departments, other public bodies and non-profit making organisations.

There are 218 designated premesis in the UK permitted to carry out animal studies, or who breed or supply animals for research and some 14,000 scientists have personal licences to undertake this work.

The approximations noted in the home page caption were derived using the 2005 UK animal research statistics. They assume the average British citizen has a life span of 78.5 years and the population is 60 million.

No. of mice = 1.96 million x 78.5 (years) ÷ 60 million = 2.5

No. of rats = 0.42 million x 78.5 (years) ÷ 60 million = 0.5

Controls and legislation
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 23 Home Office inspectors for the 218 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 3,350 visits to research establishments each year of which 2,400 are for inspection purposes. Over half 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 any proposed animal procedures meet their criteria.

Welfare
The husbandry of research animals is conducted to high standards. Animal technicians look after the daily needs - feeding, exercise, stimulation, cleaning - and in-house vets are available for the animals' well-being. Responsibility for welfare rests with the licence-holding scientist.

Professional bodies - such as the Institute of Animal Technicians, the Laboratory Animal Science Association and the Laboratory Animal Veterinary Association - work with the Home Office and others, such as FRAME and UFAW, to share best practice and improve animal welfare.