The number of animals used in UK labs for scientific experiments is now more than three million - a level not seen since 1991.

Home Office figures show that in 2007, all procedures in England, Wales and Scotland used 3.1 million animals.

The year-on-year increase of 6% continues the recent upward trend driven mainly by the use of rodents in genetics experiments.

Mice and rats constitute more than 80% of all animals used in laboratories.

The remainder involve primarily fish, birds, and reptiles/amphibians.

Dogs, cats, horses and non-human primates receive special protection under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. These were used in less than half of 1% of the procedures.

Most procedures are for research and drug development; safety testing accounts for much of the rest.

The number of animals used in lab experiments peaked in the 1970s with more than five million procedures carried out annually.

The statistics then fell rapidly during the 90s and 80s before picking up again at the start of the century.

Knockout mice

Just over 3.2 million scientific procedures were started in 2007, a rise of about 189,500 (6%) on 2006.

The latest rise is the sixth in succession and largely reflects the increasing role of genetically modified animals in research.

The use of GM animals – mainly mice - has more than quadrupled since 1995.

By adding or knocking out genes in mice, scientists believe they can gain an insight into the molecular flaws in humans that lead to illness.

Animal welfare groups have long argued that the numbers – although smaller than they used to be – are still too high.

They say that many experiments often give misleading or wholly useless information; and that scientists ought to make better use of alternatives.

Researchers counter that whilst great strides are being made in the use computer models, tissue cultures and other alternatives – some animal experimentation will always be necessary to help find cures for life-threatening diseases.

(BBC)

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