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Written question asked by Andrew Rosindell (Conservative) on Thursday, 11 March 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 15 March 2010. It was answered by Lord Davies of Stamford (Labour) on Tuesday, 23 March 2010 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Animal Experiments

Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many animals of each species involved in procedures died as a result of those procedures at (a) Porton Down and (b) other establishments for which he is responsible in each of the last five years.
Answer

The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) returns the numbers of procedures undertaken involving animals at Dstl Porton Down to the Home Office on an annual basis, the numbers of procedures returned for last five years are detailed in the following table. This is the only designated defence establishment for such procedures.

Numbers of Dstl procedures returned to the Home Office
Guinea Pig Ferret Mouse Pig Rabbit Rat Sheep Non-human primate Total
2005 661 60 20,016 127 3 195 2 54 21,118
2006 545 0 15,986 123 0 335 4 52 17,045
2007 647 0 17,095 74 5 359 2 75 18,257
2008 254 0 10,404 113 2 549 0 55 11,380
2009 190 0 7,698 96 30 5 0 149 8,168

A very large proportion, approximately 95 per cent. of the total number of animals involved in the procedures either died during the procedure, or were humanely culled at the end of the procedures, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act:"http://www.archive.official-documents.co.uk/document/hoc/321/321-xa.htm"Sections 3D, 14 (3) and 15 (2) detail the requirement for specific approval to keep animals alive after the completion of any regulated procedure.A small number of animals, are approved for re-use in further procedures. An example of reuse was the herd of goats retained at Alverstoke for use in the hyperbaric research programme supporting the Ministry of Defence's Submarine Escape Rescue and Abandonment System. This programme ceased in November 2006, as formally announced in a written ministerial statement on 6 February 2008, Official Report, column 70WS.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
508 c168W; 322457
Session
2009-10
Subjects
Animal experiments Dstl
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk