On 11 September, the 2023 statistics on animal research in the UK were released. We are encouraged by the continued decline in the number of animals experiencing ‘severe’ suffering. This represents significant progress since 2014 towards our goal of ending severe suffering in animal research.
While ‘severe’ animal use in basic research increased slightly by 5%, regulatory use and applied/translational use decreased by 11.5% and 20.7% respectively. Mice remain the most commonly used species, accounting for 82.7% of all severe procedures. Batch potency testing and toxicity testing (LD50/LC50) account for 68% of all severe procedures involving mice.
The continuing reduction in severe procedures since 2014 reflects the efforts of the scientific community to minimise animal suffering. However, certain areas, such as batch potency testing, neuroscience, immune system and cardiovascular research, have proven more challenging to refine.
Our upcoming work will aim to address these crucial areas to advance the goals of our ‘Focus on Severe Suffering’ initiative.