Animal research done highest in Scotland

SCIENTISTS IN Scotland carry out more tests on animals than those in the rest of the UK.
A staggering 391,000 live animals were experimented on in 2006, according to figures revealed last week and published in The Scotsman newspaper.

Research using animals in Scotland is 13.3 per cent of Britain's total testing - even though Scotland accounts for just eight per cent of the population.

Campaigners believe that if tests will not be scrapped entirely, the country’s testing ratio should not exceed that of the population.

Experiments were done on animals including 240,000 mice, 73,548 fish, 10,573 sheep, 1012 pigs, 859 primates, 886 dogs, 211 horses and 31 cats.

The number of animal tests carried out UK-wide last year increased four per cent from 2005 - although the number done in Scotland fell by 1.5 per cent.

A Home Office spokesperson defended the high statistics saying: ‘The UK has the strictest regulations on animal procedures in the world. This ensures that when the use of animals can be justified, it is done to high standards of care as well as limiting research to where there is a clear benefit.’