Securing less burdensome arrangements for non-commercial pet travel to the EU, including for assistance dogs, remains a UK Government priority. As announced at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area, which will mean taking pets on holiday into the EU will be easier and cheaper. Instead of getting an Animal Health Certificate each time they travel, assistance dog owners will be able to get a multiuse pet passport valid for travel to the EU.

We have committed, with the EU, to conclude negotiations before the next UK-EU Summit. Whilst these negotiations are ongoing, we are unable to provide detailed updates on the talks or delivery timelines.

Securing less burdensome arrangements for non-commercial pet travel to the EU, including for assistance dogs, remains a UK Government priority. As announced at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area, which will mean taking pets on holiday into the EU will be easier and cheaper. Instead of getting an Animal Health Certificate each time they travel, assistance dog owners will be able to get a multiuse pet passport valid for travel to the EU.

We have committed, with the EU, to conclude negotiations before the next UK-EU Summit. Whilst these negotiations are ongoing, we are unable to provide detailed updates on the talks or delivery timelines.

Securing less burdensome arrangements for non-commercial pet travel to the EU, including for assistance dogs, remains a UK Government priority. As announced at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area, which will mean taking pets on holiday into the EU will be easier and cheaper. Instead of getting an Animal Health Certificate each time they travel, assistance dog owners will be able to get a multiuse pet passport valid for travel to the EU.

We have committed, with the EU, to conclude negotiations before the next UK-EU Summit. Whilst these negotiations are ongoing, we are unable to provide detailed updates on the talks or delivery timelines.

Securing less burdensome arrangements for non-commercial pet travel to the EU, including for assistance dogs, remains a UK Government priority. As announced at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area, which will mean taking pets on holiday into the EU will be easier and cheaper. Instead of getting an Animal Health Certificate each time they travel, assistance dog owners will be able to get a multiuse pet passport valid for travel to the EU.

We have committed, with the EU, to conclude negotiations before the next UK-EU Summit. Whilst these negotiations are ongoing, we are unable to provide detailed updates on the talks or delivery timelines.

Securing less burdensome arrangements for non-commercial pet travel to the EU, including for assistance dogs, remains a UK Government priority. As announced at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area, which will mean taking pets on holiday into the EU will be easier and cheaper. Instead of getting an Animal Health Certificate each time they travel, assistance dog owners will be able to get a multiuse pet passport valid for travel to the EU.

We have committed, with the EU, to conclude negotiations before the next UK-EU Summit. Whilst these negotiations are ongoing, we are unable to provide detailed updates on the talks or delivery timelines.

On 10 July 2026, the Animals in Science Regulation Unit carried out an announced visit to MBR Acres to inspect compliance with the requirements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) following the recent period of high temperatures in Great Britain. No immediate animal welfare concerns were identified by inspectors on the day of the visit.

Under ASPA, licensed establishments are responsible for ensuring the welfare of animals in their care at all times, including during extreme temperatures. All such establishments must comply with ASPA, the Code of Practice for the Housing and Care of Animals Bred, Supplied or Used for Scientific Purposes, and relevant licence conditions. This includes requirements for daily checks of animal welfare and environmental conditions, and for breaches or potential breaches of licence conditions to be reported to the Secretary of State.

The Home Office regulates the use of animals in science under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). Under ASPA, all project licence applications must comply with the principles of Replacement, Reduction and Refinement (the 3Rs), which set out that animals may only be used when no validated non-animal alternative exists, the number of animals is minimised, and any potential harms are minimised.

In the last twelve months, the Home Office has not refused any licences involving canines on the grounds that a scientifically satisfactory non-animal alternative method or testing strategy was available.

The number of formal refusals is not, however, a meaningful indicator of either application of non-animal alternatives or regulatory rigour. All applications go through multiple review stages before reaching the Home Office Regulator, and guidance is available to assist applicants in preparing submissions that meet all legal requirements. Only applications that fully meet the requirements of the legislation may be considered for licensing authorisation.

All establishments licensed to use animals must have an Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body (AWERB), which reviews proposals before they are submitted to the Regulator. Therefore, establishments’ internal review processes are intended to identify where suitable alternatives are available before applications are progressed to the Home Office.

Applications received by the Home Office are subject to detailed scrutiny, including requests for clarification or amendment where required. Applicants may revise or withdraw an application in response to feedback.

Although scientific procedures involving dogs increased by 9% in 2025, the number remains low by historical standards, with only 2024 reporting a lower figure. Overall, the use of dogs in science has declined over the past decade.

Dogs are used only where necessary and justified under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). This is most commonly in regulatory safety testing to assess the safety and efficacy of medicines and other products, where no suitable non-animal alternative is available. The number of procedures requiring dogs may increase or decrease from year to year largely due to changes in regulatory testing requirements, scientific and public health priorities and the availability of suitable non-animal alternatives.

The Government’s Replacing animals in science strategy, published in November 2025 and backed by £75 million, contains measures to accelerate the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods. These measures, together with continuing regulatory scrutiny and independent advice from the Animals in Science Committee, will support further replacement, reduction and refinement of animal procedures.

The Replacing Animals in Science strategy includes a commitment to reduce the use of dogs in pharmacokinetic and cardiovascular safety studies by 35% by 2030, where scientifically justified and supported by validated alternatives. The Government is working with regulators, industry and other partners to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods needed to achieve this ambition. A publicly available dashboard of progress against the strategy’s key deliverables and key performance indicators is being developed, and the Government will publish a delivery update, alongside key performance indicators on progress across all elements of the strategy, later in 2026.

Police support animals play an important role in crime detection, prevention, and public safety. The government values the bravery and skill of police dogs and their handlers, recognising the strong bond formed through their work.

Police forces are responsible for the welfare of their service animals throughout their service and into retirement. Their retirement can be a combination of local arrangements, such as charitable organisations and volunteers, the exact nature being a local decision for the force, led by Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners.

The government currently has no plans to change the retirement process for police service animals, including the funding of veterinary care.

Police support animals play an important role in crime detection, prevention, and public safety. The government values the bravery and skill of police dogs and their handlers, recognising the strong bond formed through their work.

Police forces are responsible for the welfare of their service animals throughout their service and into retirement. Their retirement can be a combination of local arrangements, such as charitable organisations and volunteers, the exact nature being a local decision for the force, led by Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners.

The government currently has no plans to change the retirement process for police service animals, including the funding of veterinary care.

Pharmaceutical legislation requires that, before a medicine can be approved for testing in humans, it is tested in a rodent and non-rodent species under international guidelines. This may include dogs as an appropriate model. The number of Beagles bred is largely determined by the forecast needs of the pharmaceutical industry that require testing of medicines. The number of scientific procedures using animals, including dogs, is published annually at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/animals-in-science-regulation-unit#statistics.

The Home Office regulator assures compliance of all work licensed with the rigorous requirements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act. For every research proposal, Home Office inspectors assure that animals are replaced with non-animal alternatives wherever possible, the number of animals are reduced to the minimum necessary to achieve the result sought, and that, for those animals which must be used, procedures are refined as much as possible to minimise their suffering.

This Government has made a commitment to the long-term goal of phasing out animal testing in science and research in all but exceptional circumstances. In November 2025, the Government published Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation, and uptake of alternative methods, backed by £75 million in funding. This includes plans to establish a UK Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods and a preclinical translational models hub, alongside specific commitments to reduce the number of dogs used in scientific procedures.

Animal welfare groups such as the RSPCA and Dogs Trust provide helpful advice on how to look after dogs in hot weather, often promoted online and through media outlets. Advice includes keeping dogs in the shade where possible, keeping dogs hydrated, testing the temperature of pavements with one’s hand before walks and encouraging safe, supervised play with water, such as in paddling pools.

In extreme cases, where an owner is endangering the health or welfare of their dog, local authorities have powers to investigate allegations of animal cruelty or poor welfare.

The Government is committed to reducing the use of animals in science, including dogs, through our Replacing Animals in Science strategy, which supports the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods. The UK’s legal framework already requires animals to be used only where no validated alternatives exist. We are taking targeted action to reduce the use of dogs, including in pharmacokinetic and cardiovascular safety studies, by accelerating the development and regulatory acceptance of validated alternatives. Progress will be reported through the strategy’s delivery update and performance framework, to be published later in 2026.

ASRU maintains regular engagement with MBR Acres as part of its ongoing oversight of establishments licenced under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). This includes updates on operational matters and environmental conditions, including temperature monitoring, to ensure that appropriate standards of animal welfare are maintained.

Daily checks by competent personnel are mandated under licence conditions to monitor animal welfare and environmental conditions, with prompt action required to address any issues. Establishment are also required to report any breaches or potential breaches of licence conditions to the Secretary of State.

ASRU has released a number of inspection reports for MBR Acres, which found no evidence of non-compliance with the requirements of ASPA, associated licence conditions, or the Code of Practice for the Housing and Care of Animals Bred, Supplied or Used in scientific Procedures.