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Animal research in the UK: the law

In the UK, the use of animals in medical research has been subject to legislation for nearly 150 years. However, many people feel that the law does not go far enough to protect animals.

On this webpage, we will explain how animal research is regulated in the UK today.

What is the law for animal testing in the UK?

While animal testing for cosmetics is now banned in the UK, animals are still widely used in scientific experiments. This includes things like regulatory testing of drugs, chemicals, and medical devices, and research into human anatomy and diseases.

Today, the law that governs animal testing in the UK is called the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 Amendment Regulations 2012, known as ASPA. The Home Office modulates the Act in England, Scotland and Wales.
Animals in research - UK law

Which animals are covered by ASPA?

Protected animals

Not all animals are regulated under ASPA. The Act refers to those covered as 'protected animals.' This means they are regulated under the Act, not that they are protected from being used in research. The law defines a protected animal as any living vertebrate, other than humans, and any living cephalopod. Animals that don’t fit this definition have no legal protection from experimentation.

Specially protected animals

Some animals have 'special protections', including horses, cats, dogs and non-human primates. These animals are still commonly used in medical research in the UK. However, the law states that these species are only supposed to be used in cases where other species are deemed unsuitable or unavailable.
Which animals can be used in research under UK law?

Any non-human animal can be experimented on. The law just requires you to have licenses to use ‘protected animals’ - any living (non-human) vertebrate and any living cephalopod. Other animals have no protections. Some animals have ‘special protections’ - this includes non-human primates, cats, dogs and horses. Specially protected species are still used in research. But only when other animals are deemed unsuitable or unavailable.

What type of animal experiments does ASPA regulate?

The law applies to any scientific or educational procedure conducted on protected animals, that could cause pain, distress, or lasting harm. ASPA also regulates the breeding of animals to be used in experiments and the methods used to kill protected animals.

Before a scientist can use animals in medical research, they must hold three licences from the Home Office. These are:
  • A personal licence for each person conducting the experiments on animals
  • A project licence for the programme of research work which includes animal experiments
  • An establishment licence for the place where the animal experiments take place

How is animal suffering considered?

ASPA groups animal suffering into four categories: mild, moderate, non-recovery or severe. The researcher will assess their proposed project’s severity banding. When they apply for a project licence, they will perform a harm-benefit analysis. This is when the scientist weighs up the potential benefit to humans and the resultant animal suffering. The law allows projects that cause any severity of suffering, provided the researcher states that the potential human benefit outweighs this harm.

Institutions will typically review the analysis internally at their animal welfare and ethical review bodies before they request a licence from the Home Office. Since this process is not made public, it is unclear how often these review boards reject projects due to the harm they will cause to animals. Additionally, the Home Office’s annual report does not reveal the number of licences they reject, either.
Animal suffering classifications for research in UK laboratories: non-recovery, mild, moderate and severe.

The 3Rs: replacement, reduction and refinement

The UK government has committed to the replacement, reduction, and refinement of the use of animals in research.
The 3Rs of animal research: Replacement, reduction and refinement
The 3Rs are enshrined in the following Section of ASPA:
“Implementing the 3Rs requires that, in every research proposal, animals are replaced with non-animal alternatives wherever possible; that the number of animals is reduced to the minimum needed to achieve the results sought; and that, for those animals which must be used, procedures are refined as much as possible to minimise their suffering.

“The government is committed to ensuring that any licence we grant under ASPA must rigorously and demonstrably apply the 3Rs principles.”
- ASPA 2012, Section 2A
However, when applying for a project licence, scientists do not need to show that they have thoroughly explored non-animal alternatives. Instead, they can simply express their own opinion that their research needs to use animal testing.
At The Humane Research Trust, we support scientists to use alternatives to animal experiments.
We are currently funding researchers across the UK to use and advance research models that can replace animal testing. Ultimately, our vision is a world where no animals are used in research for the improvement of human health.

How animals are used in research

Beagle puppy in a cage
Every year, the government release statistics outlining how animals have been used in UK laboratories that year. In 2023, millions of experiments took place. Here's everything you need to know.
Read the latest facts

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