I want to assure you that I am completely against this awful practice. I am a proud patron of the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation and believe that we must do all we can to ensure that animals are treated fairly. I am also proud to build on Sir David’s legacy of fighting for the proper treatment of animals.
Animal testing is an appalling and outdated practice. In 2022, in aid of World Animal Free Research Day I made a speech in support of advancing ethical research and called for investment into human relevant science. I have further raised this question with my colleague, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and called for an action plan for setting out how the widespread adoption of human relevant research techniques can be facilitated. I have attended multiple other events in Parliament that seek to end animal testing in the UK, such as the event hosted this January by Cruelty Free International, calling for a complete ban on the practice.
In acknowledgment that two-thirds of British people want to see a binding plan in place to phase out animal testing, the Government has adopted an approach to support the development of techniques that replace, reduce, and refines the use of animals in research. These are known as the 3Rs.
A specific group, The UK Research and Innovation for the National Centre for the 3Rs (NC3Rs), was set up to action this. The NC3Rs are committed to investing 75 per cent of their research and innovation budget on technologies which can replace the cruelty of animal testing. So far, the NC3Rs has invested £89.3 million into research, and £27 million into contracts to ensure safer assessment of pharmaceuticals away from animal testing. This year, the Government has doubled funding to the NC3Rs, bringing total funding to £20 million per annum.
Progress is being made in stopping animal testing; in May 2023 I was delighted that see my colleague, the Secretary of State for the Home Department, announce that no new licenses will be granted for animal testing of chemicals exclusively intended to be used as ingredients in cosmetics products.
I am pleased that the Government has said that there has been no change to, and there is no plan to change, any of the legislation related to previous EU regulatory testing using animals in the UK. This includes and is not limited to the Cosmetic Products Enforcement Act (2013), UK REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Registration of Chemicals), and the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act.
I will continue to work with my colleagues at the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation to ensure that animals in the UK receive fair treatment and are not subjected to unnecessary suffering.