General information
Information for the General Public about the use of animals in research, in the UK
All research done using animals in the UK* is governed by the Home Office under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
The Home Office has a website dedicated to its public outreach, and industry support and guidance, regarding the use of animals in research.
The legislation governing the use of animals in research - the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 - commonly referred to as ASPA - has a user-friendly Guidance on the Operation of ASPA which explains in more detail the stipulations of ASPA.
*Our colleagues in Northern Ireland are governed by the Department of Health.
Licences are required, under ASPA, in order for animal research to take place:
The location of the research needs an Establishment Licence
The scientific work needs a Project Licence
The individual doing the research needs a Personal Licence
ASPA states that specific job roles - Named People - must be in place at a research Establishment to facilitate, advise and support the animal research in order to protect animal welfare and to keep the research compliant with ASPA, and therefore UK law. These roles are:
Named Animal Care and Welfare Officers (NACWOs),
Named Information Officers (NIOs),
Named Training and Competency Officers (NTCOs), and,
Named Veterinary Surgeons (NVSs)
As LAVA, we represent vets working as NVSs as well as vets holding Personal licences working in research.
Details of the licences and Named People, and more information on their specific job roles, can be found in the Guidance of the Operation of ASPA.
ASPA protects the animal’s welfare and animal experience as well, by requiring research to conform to the Principle of the 3Rs:
Replacement
Non-animal alternatives must be used instead, where scientifically valid.
Reduction
The minimum number of animals must be used in order to achieve valid data.
Refinement
The scientific procedures and experiences of the animals must be to the least amount of pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm as scientifically justified.
The NC3Rs is the UK’s national organisation for the 3Rs, for the advancement of the 3Rs by focusing on their scientific impacts and benefits.
The Home Office publishes the annual statistics of scientific procedures performed on living animals in the UK
This report includes the number of procedures performed, the species of animals used, and the purpose of the research - and how this changes over time.
The most commonly used species in the UK are:
Mice
Rats
Zebrafish
Animal research purposes falls into 4 main categories:
Basic Research
This is research such as relating to the biology and functioning of the immune system, the nervous system or cancer
Applied Research
This is research such as into human and animal diseases and their treatments
Regulatory Research
This is research to satisfy legal requirements necessary to enable materials, products, and devices to be licensed for use
Other Research
This is research such as behavioural, welfare, environmental, conservation or forensic studies
In the UK scientific Project Licences will not be granted for work involving the testing of:
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cosmetics
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alcohol or tobacco products
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developing offensive weapons
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using Great Apes (Chimpanzees, pygmy chimpanzees, gorillas or Orangutans)
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for using stray domestic animals.
All UK scientific Project Licences have a section written for the public - The Non-Technical Summary - which the Home Office publishes annually on their website.
For those interested in finding out more about how animal research is conducted in the UK, a useful resource is Understanding Animal Research – another non-profit organisation with aims to broaden the understanding of the humane use of animals in research in the UK, using thoroughly researched information.
Equivalent roles to the Named Veterinary Surgeon exist in other country’s legislation - such as the Designated Veterinarian in EU law, and the Attending Veterinarian in US law.
For more information please see our Veterinary Surgeons page.
If you have any questions about the role veterinary surgeons play in the animal research field in the UK, please do ask - we welcome all questions for openness and transparency of what we do.