Take Action: Appalling Animal Welfare Failings in British Labs
The Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) annual report 2024 has been published by the Home Office and makes for distressing reading.
The report describes incidents where the law or the terms of animal use licences have not been complied with (referred to as non-compliance incidents) and the impact these breaches had on animal welfare.
In 2024, there were 146 recorded cases of non-compliance in British laboratories. These involved a total of 22,204 animals and we have calculated that in 2024, at least 542 animals died or were euthanised following non-compliance incidents. In 75% of cases, the only sanction was ‘inspector advice’.
Causes of death included:
- Animals getting trapped in equipment or parts of their cages
- Fish being placed in tanks with the incorrect water or water containing chlorine
- Neonatal mice starving to death after being separated from their mother.
- animals being dropped to the ground in a transportation box
- A leaking water valve flooding a cage overnight drowning 10 mice
- A mouse being killed after being left without food and water for 48 hours.
These appalling failings add to increasing pressure on the Government to take more decisive action to deliver their manifesto commitment on phasing out animal testing.
Please email your MP today to raise awareness of the animal welfare failings in British laboratories and ask them to attend Tuesday's debate on the Animals in Science Regulation Unit annual report 2024 and become a .
