To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the report entitled, Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 2018, published in July 2019, what type of tests comprised the 92 procedures conducted on dogs to satisfy plant protection product legislation; what type of products were tested; and what steps he is taking to (a) reduce and (b) replace the use of dogs for those tests.
Answered on
3 September 2020
A) With reference to the report entitled Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 2018, published in July 2019, the 92 procedures conducted on dogs to satisfy plant protection product legislation. These procedures were undertaken for toxicity and other safety testing, and for quality control and efficacy and tolerance testing purposes. The Home Office does not hold further information on the type of product tested.
B) Dogs are a specially protected species under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. The Home Office will only grant a project licence for a programme of work using dogs where the purpose of the programme of work specified in the licence can only be achieved by their use, or where it is not practicable to use other suitable animals.