Animal Experiments
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what application are the 3 current active licences which authorise the use of the Forced Swim Test in preclinical animal testing.
Answered by Sarah Jones
The Home Office publishes annual National Statistics on the use of animals in scientific procedures in Great Britain under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
As part of these statistics, information is collected and published on techniques of special interest. In 2024, the statistics included the forced swim test as a technique of special interest for the first time and includes information on the purpose of the research.
All procedures were performed for the purpose of basic research in the areas of the nervous, endocrine and sensory systems, and were either mild or moderate severity.
The annual statistics for 2025 will be published this year. The published annual statistics are available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/animals-in-science-statistics
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