Every year, researchers who undertake licensed work involving animals submit a report to the Home Office detailing the number of procedures carried out during the year.
See the most recent statistics.
Procedures involving animals licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) during the period 1 January to 31 December 2022:
A breakdown by species of the number of procedures classified as sub-threshold, mild, moderate, severe or non-recovery according to the Home Office’s classification system:
Procedures involving animals licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) during the period 1 January to 31 December 2021:
Species
Number of Procedures
Rabbit
61
Mouse
118
Rat
18
Sub-threshold
Mild
Moderate
Severe
Non-recovery
0
43
53
22
Procedures involving animals licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) during the period 1 January to 31 December 2020:
123
120
44
47
29
Procedures involving animals licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) during the period 1 January to 31 December 2019:
122
214
24
Fish (includes wild caught and released)
221
119
3
40
115
57
2
99
116
6
Procedures involving animals licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) during the period 1 January to 31 December 2018:
264
630
783
190
265
173
11
36
112
596
75
Procedures involving animals licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) during the period 1 January to 31 December 2017:
282
2,084
109
1,796
281
1
1,233
522
307
16
71
14
267
1529