An overview of reports, statements, libraries and website links related to animal research in the UK.

[Please note that this page is currently under review and will be updated soon to include more recent resources and links to relevant third-party pages].

Government

The Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) is a part of Home Office Science. It is responsible for regulating the operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). The Unit is led by the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), comprising the Head of Unit, the Head of Policy & Administration and the Chief Inspector. Two groups make up ASRU: Policy & Administration and the Inspectorate, which work closely together in collaboration to deliver ASRU's purpose.

Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 documents

Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) annual reports

Reports describe how ASRU meets it responsibilities to regulate the use of animals for experimental or other scientific purposes.

Non-Technical-Summaries

The Directive introduced a requirement for a non-technical summary (NTS) to be provided by the applicant for each project authorised. The NTS should provide information about the objectives of the project, including predicted harms and benefits, and details of the animals to be used. It should also demonstrate how the 3Rs (Replacement, Refinement and Reduction) are being implemented in the project.

Annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals

Statistics to provide information for the scientific community, animal welfare organisations and the general public about, for example, number of procedures started, the number of animals used, species of animal, genetic status of animal, primary purpose / field of research, target body system (e.g. nervous or muscle system), use of anaesthesia, source of animals and actual severity.

Anonymised reports of substantial investigations by the Home Office unit.

The Government's response to the Animals In Science Committee's review on investigations into non-compliance

Animals in Science Committee (ASC)

The Animals in Science Committee is responsible for providing impartial, balanced and objective advice to the Secretary of State, to animal welfare bodies and within the European Union on issues relating to the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 as amended.

•Report of meeting with AWERBs, 20 June 2018

•New appointments to ASC announced on 12 September 2016
•Minutes of the Animals in Science Committee meeting held on 5 May 2016

Working to reduce the use of animals in research: delivery report

The coalition's programme for government includes a commitment to work to reduce the use of animals in research. This delivery report describes the progress made on actions set out in the delivery plan.
The Report has been prepared by the Home Office (HO), the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Department of Health (DH). It includes substantial contributions from other government departments including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA), and from government agencies including Public Health England (PHE), the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), the Animal & Plant Health Agency (APHA), the Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera), the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The Research Councils have also contributed significantly to this work.

Public consultation on Section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986

This consultation was seeking views on ASRU's proposals and invited suggestions as to whether they are appropriate, how they may work in practice and any alternatives available. They also sought advice to help quantify the potential impacts associated with the chosen options. An impact assessment was published alongside the consultation.

Understanding of Animal Research

A great place to find many free resources, also for schools, universities and journalists:

Science Media Centre

Reactions and briefings related to animal research.

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Policy