Statistics of scientific procedures on living animals: Great Britain 2004
This document contains the following information: Statistics of scientific procedures on living animals: Great Britain 2004.
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This document contains the following information: Statistics of scientific procedures on living animals: Great Britain 2004.
This annual publication contains data on animal experimentation carried out during 2004 subject to the provisions of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. Under this Act, any scientific procedure carried out on any living vertebrate animal, and one species of octopus, which is likely to cause pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm, is a regulated procedure requiring licence authority. In 2004, there were 2.85 million scientific procedures conducted, an increase of 2.3 per cent on 2003. Most experiments and tests were conducted on mice, rats and other rodents (85 per cent), with the remainder on birds (four per cent) and fish (seven per cent). Dogs, cats, horses and non-human primates (usually macaques and marmosets) combined, amounted to less than one per cent of procedures. Genetically modified animals were used in 32 per cent of cases, compared with 27 per cent for 2003; most of these were rodents. Non-toxicological procedures accounted for 85 per cent of procedures, with the main areas of use being for immunological studies, pharmaceutical research and development, anatomy and cancer research.
This Command Paper was laid before Parliament by a Government Minister by Command of Her Majesty. Command Papers are considered by the Government to be of interest to Parliament but are not required to be presented by legislation.