29/04/25
Yesterday in Parliament, MPs debated the use of beagles and other dogs in animal research, with the overwhelming majority voicing concern or opposition to the practice. Many also called for a clear and urgent roadmap to phase out the use of all animals in experiments.
In Britain, thousands of experiments are carried out on dogs each year, with beagles being the most commonly used breed due to their small size and docile nature.
During the debate, we were heartened to see several MPs highlight the critical issue raised by our new Forgotten Lives campaign: the lack of transparency around invisible animals who are ‘bred and not used’ in experiments. These include breeding animals and animals who are bred ‘just in case’ to ensure supply, amongst others. These animals are not included in official statistics, meaning the true scale of animal use for science in Britain remains hidden from the public.
The only time they were counted was in 2017, when over 1.8 million additional animals were ‘bred and not used’ in Britain in that year alone. This included 97 beagles, as well as 143 monkeys, 9,484 rabbits and guinea pigs, and over 1.6 million rodents, among many other sentient animals.
Ruth Jones MP, representing Newport West and Islwyn, made this powerful contribution to the debate:
We are immensely grateful to Ruth Jones MP, as well as Irene Campbell MP and Douglas McAllister MP, for speaking up for animals who are bred and not used, as well as the millions used in experiments.
Disappointingly, the Minister responding on behalf of the Government failed to directly address the concerning lack of transparency. However, she re-confirmed that a long-awaited strategy to support the development, validation, and uptake of alternatives to animal testing will be published before the end of the year.
Naturewatch Foundation welcomes this and will be closely scrutinising the strategy when it is released. However, we are disappointed that the government failed to demonstrate greater ambition to end animal testing in the UK yesterday, particularly given the strength of public and political feeling shown during the debate.
The next few months will be crucial in the fight to end animal testing, and Naturewatch Foundation will be meeting with officials next month, along with other animal welfare organisations, to learn more about the Government’s plans. We will bring you more updates as soon as we can.
In the meantime, if you haven’t already, please support our Forgotten Lives campaign today and ask your MP to speak up for the invisible animals in Britain’s labs who are bred and not used.
Ask your MP to speak up for the Forgotten Lives
Learn more about animal experiments here.
