70% of Brits want ban on animal testing for medical research, poll reveals
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Seven in 10 people would back new law that would end animal experiments in medical research by 2035, a YouGov poll has revealed. It found 70% favoured a move to non-animal methods - using computer modelling and human cells or tissues. And 75% also backed switching Government funding currently used for animal experiments to pay for research that uses non-animal methods.
According to the latest available data from the Home Office, 2.68 million scientific procedures involving living animals were carried out in Great Britain in 2023.This represents a 3% decrease compared to 2022. The number of animals used in the UK - almost 500,000 - is at the same level as it was in 1956.
The Animals in Medical Research (Prohibition Bill), based on Herbie’s Law, has been introduced into Parliament by Steve Race, MP for Exeter, and will have its second reading on 17 January (Friday). It will be named Herbie’s Law after a 14-year-old rescued beagle. Campaigners say it would prompt a ‘decade of change’ and would set an ambition of phasing out animal experiments by 2035, describing how progress will be maintained and supporting scientists with the transition.
Steve Race MP said: “As I saw for myself during my recent visit to the ARC 2.0, based at the Research, Innovation and Learning Centre in Exeter, we can get far better results for patients without subjecting animals to unnecessary pain and suffering.
