Thank you for contacting me regarding Fraudulent Science of Animal Testing.
I welcome that the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) provides protections for animals bred in the UK for use in scientific procedures.
I am aware that all establishments licensed to breed protected animals under ASPA are required to comply with the published Code of Practice, which sets out standards for the appropriate care and accommodation of animals.
The UK has some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world, and it is right that we continue to raise the bar.
The Home Office has assured MPs that, in every research proposal, animals are replaced with non-animal alternatives wherever possible, the number of animals used is reduced to the minimum necessary, and that, for those animals which must be used, procedures are refined as much as possible to minimise their suffering.
I am keen to support work that aims to accelerate the point at which animal research and testing is no longer necessary, having been fully replaced by effective alternatives wherever possible.
Once again, thank you for contacting me.