20 Jul 2026
Although the overall number of procedures has fallen, more tests were carried out on dogs, cats, primates and horses.
Allister Webb
Job Title
ADI has called for reductions in the number of scientific tests on animals following the release of new government figures.
Governments and regulators must “force” through reductions in the number of scientific tests being carried out on animals, campaigners have claimed.
The demand follows new Government figures which showed an increase in procedures carried out on cats, dogs, horses and primates, despite an overall reduction in tests across all species.
Defra’s animal welfare strategy, published last December, pledged to phase out animal tests “where possible” and support alternatives with funding and research partnerships.
But Animal Defenders International (ADI) vice-president Tim Phillips warned advances in alternatives appeared to have had “little impact” on the number of animals used in experiments.
He said: “There is a disconnect and it is up to governments and regulators to force the change. It is simply not going to happen otherwise.”
According to recently published UK Government figures, a total of 2.54 million scientific procedures were carried out on living animals in Great Britain during 2025.
The figure was down 4% on the previous year and is said to be the lowest recorded under current legislation for scientific tests on animals, which has been in place since 1986.
But there was a 15% rise in testing on primates, with 2,236 procedures recorded in all, plus a 9% increase in tests on dogs to 2,889.
Elsewhere, more than 12,000 procedures involving horses were recorded, up around 5.4%, while the 91 tests carried out on cats represented an 11% rise from 2024.
The new data carries added significance because of both Defra’s stated commitments on the issue and the fact that Andy Burnham will replace Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister later today (20 July).
Mr Burnham previously oversaw the legislation on animal experimentation during his period as a junior Home Office minister under Tony Blair 20 years ago.
But despite the number of animals being used in tests falling since then, RSPCA senior scientific officer Chloe Stevens said public support for further measures meant the issue “must be towards the top” of the new leader’s agenda.
She added: “This will be a real-world test for the new Labour Party leader and it is vital that they are prepared to meet this challenge.”