Animal Experiments: Scotland
Home Department
Written answers and statements, 27 October 2009
Katy Clark (Ayrshire North & Arran, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the primary purpose was of each (a) procedure and (b) field of research carried out on animals in Scotland in 2008 under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 involving (i) fish, (ii) pigs and (iii) genetically modified animals; and what the reasons were for the increase in the number of procedures carried out on (A) fish, (B) pigs and (C) genetically modified animals in Scotland in that year in relation to the previous year.
Meg Hillier (Hackney South & Shoreditch, Labour)
The information available is provided in the following tables. Data by primary purpose are provided for both 2007 and 2008 to indicate the reasons for increases, i.e. in which primary purposes the numbers of procedures increased. The overall level of scientific procedures is determined by a number of factors, including the economic climate and global trends in scientific endeavour. Data by field of research are only collected for non-toxicological procedures.
Information relating to each individual procedure is not available, to protect statistical confidentiality, in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.
| Scientific procedures by species of animal and primary purpose of the procedure, Scotland 2008 and 2007 | ||||||
| Number of procedures | ||||||
| Pig | Fish | GM Animals( 1) | ||||
| 2008 | 2007 | 2008 | 2007 | 2008 | 2007 | |
| Fundamental biological research | 372 | 362 | 171,489 | 36,812 | 70,229 | 74,056 |
| Applied studies—human medicine or dentistry | 158 | 149 | 58 | — | 2,373 | 2,792 |
| Applied studies—veterinary medicine | 219 | 191 | 7,224 | 11,263 | — | 19 |
| Protection of man, animals or the environment | — | — | 996 | 1,742 | — | 11 |
| Education | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Training | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Direct diagnosis | — | — | — | — | 4 | 15 |
| Breeding | 134 | 63 | 4,668 | 1,772 | 104,739 | 74,295 |
| Total | 883 | 765 | 184,435 | 51,589 | 177,345 | 151,188 |
| (1) GM animals totals includes procedures using mice, rats, pigs, domestic fowl, fish. | ||||||
| Scientific procedures (non-toxicology) by field of research, Scotland 2008 | |||
| Number of procedures | |||
| Pig | Fish | GM Animals( 1) | |
| Anatomy | 134 | 5,788 | 21,096 |
| Physiology | 212 | 135,545 | 16,794 |
| Biochemistry | — | — | 7,583 |
| Psychology | — | 1,144 | 2,857 |
| Pathology | — | 1,221 | 5,831 |
| Immunology | 90 | 1,507 | 39,543 |
| Microbiology | 38 | 3,605 | 406 |
| Parasitology | — | 2,132 | 185 |
| Pharmacology | 18 | — | 5,136 |
| Pharmaceutical R and D | 4 | — | 2,372 |
| Therapeutics | 30 | — | 2,325 |
| Clinical medicine | — | — | 840 |
| Clinical surgery | — | — | 48 |
| Genetics | — | 1,380 | 9,178 |
| Molecular biology | — | 320 | 12,579 |
| Cancer research | — | 1,473 | 43,296 |
| Nutrition | — | 332 | 150 |
| Zoology | — | 662 | — |
| Botany | — | — | — |
| Animal Science | — | — | 6,409 |
| Ecology | — | 24 | — |
| Animal welfare | 52 | — | — |
| Other purpose | — | 23,224 | 147 |
| Total | 578 | 178,357 | 176,775 |
| (1) GM animals totals includes procedures using mice, rats, pigs, domestic fowl, fish. | |||