Animal Experiments: Chemicals

(asked on 23rd September 2021) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether private consultation with (a) industry and (b) other stakeholders has (i) taken place and (ii) is planned prior to publication of an updated policy and guidance on the regulation of animal testing for regulatory purposes for compliance with UK REACH; if she will make it her policy to publish all consultation undertaken on that matter; and if she will make a statement.


Answered by
Kit Malthouse Portrait
Kit Malthouse
This question was answered on 22nd October 2021

The Home Department has not needed to undertake consultation on policy and guidance on the regulation of animal testing for regulatory purposes for compliance with UK REACH.

Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) one of the permissible purposes for which animals can be used in research is the development, manufacture or testing of the quality, effectiveness and safety of drugs, foodstuffs and feed-stuffs or any other substances or products. This includes requirements under UK chemicals legislation (REACH). This is often termed ‘regulatory testing’ as the work fulfils a regulatory requirement.

The requirements for regulatory testing are set by regulators other than the Home Office Regulator, whose remit is solely to ensure compliance with protections afforded to animals used in science under ASPA.

All UK regulations and regulators abide by the principles of the 3Rs (the replacement, reduction, and refinement of animal use) and therefore only require animal testing where there are no alternatives and only to the degree needed to meet the scientific requirements of the regulations.

Reticulating Splines