It's time for action on animal testing
MPs across the political spectrum support the phasing out of animal testing
In its 2024 manifesto for government, the Labour Party pledged to work towards the phase-out of animal testing. Now armed with a strong majority and cross-party support, MPs call for clear and ambitious action to turn that commitment into reality. Speaking to PoliticsHome, they stress the need for increased funding into alternative research methods, stronger government coordination, and a binding roadmap to guide the transition.
Animal testing in the UK
In 2023, animals in the UK were used in 2.68 million experiments.1 Of these, 18 per cent caused severe or moderate pain, leading to significant suffering, distress and, in many cases, death.
Shockingly, Home Office statistics show an 860 per cent increase in the number of animals involved in reported cases of non-compliance with animal testing laws in 2023.2
Specific cases include three mice dying due to trapped tails, 18 fish poisoned to death by bleach in the water system, and three mice being euthanised after being left without food and water for 72 hours.
Every day, animals are subjected to a level of suffering that none of us would accept for our own animal companions.
But animal testing isn’t just cruel. It’s also ineffective. Despite appearing safe and effective in animal tests, 92 per cent of drugs fail in human clinical trials. 55 per cent of failures are due to a lack of efficiency, while 28 per cent are due to toxic effects in humans.3
By contrast, the non-animal methods currently available are often quicker, cheaper and more reliable. Non-animal approaches for evaluating the potential for skin sensitisation, for example, predict human outcomes with up to 84 per cent accuracy, whereas the most widely used animal test is just 58 per cent accurate.4
Ben Obese-Jecty, Conservative Member of Parliament for Huntingdon, told PoliticsHome:
I will continue to press the Government on a swift transition to phase out animal testing, though I am cognisant that this will take time and progress is likely to be slow.
I urge colleagues to join me in pressing the Government to increase 3Rs funding to facilitate the phase out. The Government must ensure that there is sufficient funding for research into alternatives so that we can build the necessary database of empirical evidence so that we can transition to non-animal methods.
Having visited Lab Corp, and with MBR Acres also in my constituency, it is clear that the future of pharmaceutical development is one that must no longer use animals as part of it.
A global leader in innovation
The transition away from animal testing towards alternative methods would not only improve human health and improve animal welfare but also secure tangible benefits for UK innovation and economic growth.
The UK’s national innovation agency, Innovate UK, has identified non-animal technologies as one of a series of emerging technologies with the potential to boost the economy.
Already, the non-animal testing sector is expected to contribute £2.5bn to the UK economy by 2026 – an increase of 700 per cent since 2017.5 Yet funding for non-animal science remains a tiny percentage of the UK’s total R&D expenditure. Without a clear and actionable plan from the government, we risk missing out on the economic benefits of non-animal science and falling behind international developments in 21st-century science.
As we call for in our ‘Creating a cruelty-free future’ report, the government should reprioritise existing funding towards the development and validation of non-animal testing methods.
This should include the creation of an Animal-Free Science Innovation Hub that brings together government, academia, industry and civil society. The Hub should draw on the lessons of successful initiatives such as the Dutch government’s Transition Programme for Innovation, as well as EU-wide collaborations, to promote the development, validation and uptake of animal-free science.
Moreover, if animal-free science were given the same benefits and funding as other businesses in the sector, projects promoting the development and use of non-animal methods could also benefit from existing tax incentives tailored towards the life sciences sector.
A roadmap for change
To seize the economic, health and welfare benefits of animal-free science and ensure progress is made, the government must set out a clear roadmap for change.
While Cruelty Free International has been given strong indication by the government that it is engaged in cross-departmental efforts to deliver its manifesto commitment, a roadmap would provide greater certainty to the relevant sectors and show the public that the government is serious about making animal testing a relic of the past.
Recognising that animal testing cuts across government departments – including DSIT, Defra and the Home Office – a key aspect of the roadmap should be the creation of a Cross-Government Taskforce to review existing regulations and practices.
On the need for a Cross-Government Taskforce, Irene Campbell MP, Chair of the APPG on Phasing Out Animal Experiments in Medical Research, told PoliticsHome:
I have long been passionate about campaigning for animal welfare, and I am proud to be serving as Chair of the APPG on Phasing Out Animal Experiments in Medical Research and furthering its cross-party campaigns. I’m hopeful that the Government will embrace recommendations from Cruelty Free International, in order to achieve our Labour Party Manifesto commitment of phasing out animal testing.
In particular, I would very much welcome a Cross-Government Taskforce to review regulations and develop strategy, enabling the Government to partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as stated in the Manifesto.
The taskforce’s remit should include ways to tackle wastage in the system; ending redundant tests; making the harm-benefit principle fit for purpose; evaluating the scope of a targets-based approach; and identifying early wins in key areas like regulatory testing.
Membership of the Cross-Government Taskforce should include representatives not just from government departments but also from regulatory bodies, legal experts, industry, academia, consumer groups, and – crucially – civil society.
The unique expertise of civil society organisations that draw support from the general public and represent the interests of animals must be at the heart of any phase-out strategy. These organisations play a vital role in fostering behaviour and culture change, ensuring that reforms are grounded in public needs, addressing social dynamics, and driving stakeholder buy-in.
Vocal animal welfare advocate Sarah Champion MP told PoliticsHome:
I’m pleased that the Government has committed to phase out animal testing. But now it needs to show us how it will turn this promise into tangible and ambitious action. The simplest way to do that is to publish a binding, timetabled roadmap.
Another key issue is ownership. Animal welfare currently sits between DSIT, DEFRA and the Home Office, which impacts accountability and oversight. I’ve long been calling for a Cross-Government Taskforce, which would set a unified approach from the top, and would be vital to implementing the transition to animal-free research.
A cruelty-free future
To date, successive governments have done little to end experiments on animals. Meanwhile, animals continue to suffer, drugs continue to fail, and the economic benefits of non-animal technologies continue to be missed. But new leadership presents an opportunity to make real progress on phasing out animal testing and reap the benefits – from economic growth and innovation to improved public health and animal welfare.
With strong leadership from the top of government and a comprehensive roadmap, the UK can position itself as a global leader in ethical, cutting-edge science. By reprioritising funding, fostering collaboration, and implementing robust regulatory reforms, the government can deliver on its manifesto commitment, drive scientific progress, and create a future where research is both humane and effective. Animals, patients and the economy all stand to benefit.
- Home Office, official statistics, September 2024.
- Cruelty Free International, 'Huge increase in reported number of animals hared in breaches of UK animal protection law', December 2024.
- Cruelty Free International, 'This New Year, government should resolve to do more to enable the use and development of animal-free research and testing', January 2023.
- Cruelty Free International, 'We meet with government minister to discuss animal-free approaches to chemicals safety', January 2023.
- Cebr, The economic impact of the UK’s New Approach Methodologies sector, September 2021, p. 21.
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