Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to phase out the use of animal-derived biomaterials and promote non-animal alternatives in medical research.

This Government’s recent strategy commits to reducing the use of animals in research and promotes the use of any validated alternative method. This includes replacing the use of animal-derived products, including for example, animal-derived polyclonal antibodies which we aim to replace by 2030. Other animal-derived substances/biomaterials generated in procedures regulated by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 may be considered as part of the alternative-methods research and development priorities that will be developed in consultation with stakeholders and published biennially from 2026.