In the news
6 Sep 2008
2 November 2006
Scotland’s animal testing rises by 4.5% - fastest rise in Britain
Home Office figures reveal that in 2005, Scotland carried out 408,794 animal experiments, a massive 4.5% increase since 2004 and making up 14.1% of the UK’s total animal experiments – demonstrating a far sharper rise in animal experiments than elsewhere in the UK1. The UK’s leading non-animal medical research charity, the Dr Hadwen Trust, condemns the rise and says the government’s inaction over animal experiments is “cheating the British public out of a non-animal research future.”
Scottish Universities and medical schools carried out the majority (62%) of experiments followed by commercial organisations at 20%[2].
There were 1,723 procedures using 1,308 dogs; 6,938 procedures using 3,016 rabbits; 69 using horses and other equids; 1,385 procedures using 910 primates and 128,561 involving genetically modified animals. Scotland also used 267,960 mice; 49,284 rats; 2,944 guinea pigs; 774 hamsters; 5,294 sheep; 941, pigs; 7,854 birds; 238 amphibians; 56,993 fish and four cats.
The Dr Hadwen Trust, the UK ’s leading non-animal medical research charity, condemns the rise. Wendy Higgins, Communications Director, says:
“The Scottish statistics are a sad indictment on this government’s tragic policy failure on animal experiments. Its seeming obsession with defending the multi-million pound animal testing industry despite obvious ethical concerns and scientific questions, is cheating the British public out of a non-animal testing future. With a different political approach and scientific initiative, Britain could lead the way in replacing outdated animal research with modern, reliable non-animal technologies.”
Scotland has some of the UK’s largest contract testing companies such as Quintiles Ltd in Edinburgh which tests products on a large range of animals such as mice, rats, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits and dogs; and Inveresk, also in Edinburgh which tests consumer, agricultural/industrial and pharmaceutical products3.
Notes:
1. Written answer Oct 26 2006 to Parliamentary Question by John Robertson MP. The total number of animal experiments in the UK in 2005 was 2.91 million (an increase from 2.8 million in 2004) giving a rise of 1.4 per%.
2. Government Departments accounted for 3%, other public bodies 15%, public health laboratories, NHS hospitals and non-profit making organisations did not carry out any regulated procedures.
3. http://www.quintiles.com and http://www.inveresk.com
