Animal welfare charity, Naturewatch Foundation, has recently launched a new campaign urging the UK Home Office to begin reporting on a hidden population of animals in laboratories. The campaign specifically focuses on animals who are bred for research but never used in experiments.
At present, the UK Government releases annual figures on animals used in scientific procedures. However, this data does not include animals who are bred for research but ultimately killed or die without being used in experiments.
The only time this information has been made publicly available was in 2017, when it was revealed that an additional 1.8 million animals were bred and not used in British laboratories. However, no such data has been released since then.
Naturewatch Foundation is concerned that there may be hundreds of thousands of additional animals being bred behind closed doors, without any accountability in official statistics. The charity is urging the Home Office to start routinely collecting and publishing this data, in accordance with transparency standards adopted in the EU.
A spokesperson for Naturewatch Foundation stated, “The British public is rightfully concerned about the use of animals in experiments, but many may be shocked to learn that even more animals are confined and killed in labs each year without being used in experiments and without anyone knowing about them. Every animal’s life matters and it is unacceptable that these sentient beings are completely invisible.”
In the EU, the number of animals bred and not used is reported every five years. In 2022, over 18.8 million animals were either used in experiments or bred for research across the 27 EU member states and Norway, with an equal number of animals being bred and not used. This included over 7.6 million mice, over 6,000 hamsters, 304 dogs, 211 equines, and 44 baboons.
Reasons for animals being bred and not used include being the wrong sex for a study, used for breeding or tissue collection, being bred as surplus to ensure availability, or dying before procedures could take place.
Naturewatch Foundation has written to the Home Office, urging them to start recording and reporting this information. The charity is also calling on members of the public to help by contacting their MPs about this issue.
For further information, please contact:
Media queries:
Alice Williamson
Campaigns & Marketing Assistant
Naturewatch Foundation
alice@naturewatch.org
+44 (0) 1242 252 871
Campaign queries:
Natalie Harney
Campaign Manager
Naturewatch Foundation
natalie.harney@naturewatch.org
+44 (0) 1242 252 871
About Naturewatch Foundation:
Naturewatch Foundation is a UK-based animal welfare charity dedicated to ending cruelty and improving the lives of animals through campaigning, education, and advocacy. For over 30 years, the charity has led initiatives to tackle illegal and unethical practices, including puppy farming, animal experiments, and wildlife crime. By working with policymakers, enforcement agencies, and the public, Naturewatch Foundation strives to make the world a kinder place for animals. Visit naturewatch.org to find out more.
Notes for editors:
– The Home Office releases annual statistics on animals used in scientific procedures in Britain at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-of-scientific-procedures-on-living-animals. The latest figures, relating to 2023, report 2,681,686 scientific procedures carried out on animals and 2,605,528 animals used in procedures for the first time that year.
– Additional statistics released for 2017 report the number of animals bred and not used in Britain at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/additional-statistics-on-breeding-and-genotyping-of-animals-for-scientific-procedures-great-britain-2017. This data shows that 1,810,091 animals were bred and killed or died without being used in scientific procedures that year, including 1,445,366 mice, 5,927 rabbits, 97 beagles, 87 sheep, and 143 primates. In total, these additional figures report 5,533,145 animals were used in science overall in Britain in 2017.
– In the EU, additional statistics about the number of animals bred and not used are reported every five years. The latest available data, relating to 2022, is available at https://d8aaf127-0203-427a-b8b6-1f1b942cd1af.usrfiles.com/ugd/d8aaf1_3673afd6252b4ebe824da451eb1f8c53.pdf. In 2022, 9,572,759 animals were bred and killed without being used in procedures in the EU’s 27 nations and Norway. 9,237,542 animals were used in scientific procedures. The total number of animals used in 2022 in the EU and Norway was 18,810
