Reforming Animal Testing in the UK

As sentient creatures with intrinsic worth, animals should not suffer in the pursuit of more productivity and profit. The issue of animal testing and welfare matters deeply to people across Newbury and West Berkshire, and many constituents have contacted me over the past few weeks about the Home Office’s latest figures. 

In its ‘non-technical summaries’ report on animal testing licenses, more than 6.5 million animals have been approved for use in scientific projects over the next five years. That scale alone is shocking, but it is the most recent report from the Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) that makes for particularly grim reading. 

The report details horrific cases of animals starving or drowning, or injections being administered to the wrong animals that resulted in their death. In total, 22,000 animals were involved in 146 cases of non-compliance, and crucially, 69% of those cases were self-reported and just 3% were flagged by audits. 

This is a major weakness; a system that relies so heavily on self-reporting that it is clearly failing to prevent disturbing animal suffering, and the sad reality is that a number of additional tests may be going on illegally. 

My party and I are supporters of high standards of animal welfare, and the UK has been a world leader in this area for a number of years. However, the ASRU’s findings, combined with a lack of transparency, means that reputation is at risk of slipping. 

Alongside the Animal Welfare Strategy, the Government have put in motion a number of encouraging proposals in the “Replacing Animals in Science” policy paper. The establishment of a new UK Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods is a refreshing and much-needed commitment, while the ASRU’s new governance board will improve oversight. 

But these are internal, incremental changes, and there is no clear timeline for when we might phase out animal experiments completely. 

Alongside over 160 MPs and Peers I continue to support Herbie’s law and back Liberal Democrat calls for the Government to sign a veterinary and phytosanitary agreement with the European Union. This will ensure we remain at the forefront of global welfare standards with our allies while Herbie’s law provides the statutory boost we need to move away from animal experimentation by 2035.  

The Government states it wants “to move as fast as we can, and we will move as quickly as the science allows”. There is agreement on all sides of the House on this, and we all share the same goal, but the key question is around pace. 

Within the next ten years, by strengthening regulation and transparency in the current system while pushing for a credible path through Herbie’s Law, we can deliver a full shift away from animal testing.