Animal Experiments: Primates
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals, Great Britain 2025, published in July 2026, what analysis she has undertaken of the factors contributing to the increase in regulatory procedures for toxicity and other safety testing, including pharmacology, involving beagles, mice, cynomolgus monkeys, domestic fowl, other birds, goats and pigs; and what steps she is taking to accelerate the replacement of animals in those procedures with human-specific technologies.
Answered by Home Office
The number and type of regulated procedures carried out can vary from year to year, reflecting factors such as scientific and public health priorities, scientific innovation, research funding, regulatory requirements, and the availability of suitable non-animal alternatives.
The requirements for regulatory testing are set by the relevant product regulators, including the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for medicines and the Health and Safety Executive for chemicals.
The Government’s Replacing Animals in Science strategy, backed by £75 million in funding, sets out measures to accelerate the development, validation and uptake of non-animal methods.
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