Ban Animal Testing - Fund, accept & promote alternatives to animal testing
This petition gathered 235,886 signatures between 12 April 2021 and 12 October 2021, according to the Parliament petitions site. The Government responded on 4 August 2021. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 25 October 2021.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Ban Animal Testing - Fund, accept & promote alternatives to animal testing
We would like the Government to ban all animal testing UK, including for the development of cosmetics, household products and medicines. Alternatives need to be actively funded. Many products that are tested on animals end up not being suitable for humans. Animal testing is outmoded and should end.
Testing on animals is a waste of public money and delays medical progress. Replacing animal tests does not have to mean putting human patients at risk or halting medical progress. Instead, replacing animal testing should improve the quality as well as the humaneness of our science. There are massive bureaucratic hurdles to implementing alternatives, which the Government could remove. There is no rational moral justification for using animals in experiments.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 4 August 2021; the petitions site lists the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as responsible. Its summary:
Scientific research using animals is vital in understanding how biological systems work in health and disease. Government oversees development of 3Rs techniques and delivery of robust regulation.
The opening 288 words of the 768-word response:
Government believes scientific research using animals plays a vital part in our understanding of how biological systems work in health and disease. The use of animals in science supports the development of new medicines and cutting-edge medical technologies, for humans and animals, and the safety and sustainability of our environment. However, animals must only be used where there is no alternative. This is achieved through robust regulation, and support/funding for non- animal alternatives.
In the UK, no animal testing may be conducted except for a permissible purpose enshrined in law. These purposes include to: assess the safety of medicines or chemicals; protect the environment; allow the development of medicines; and conduct basic scientific research to understand how biological systems and processes work. Under UK law no animal testing may be conducted if there is a non-animal alternative available. The use of animals in such testing is strictly limited to that necessary to achieve the scientific benefits.
Animal testing is required by all global medicines regulators, including the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), to protect human health and safety. Without the testing of potential medicines on animals the development, registration and marketing of new, safe, and effective medicines would not be possible. The animal species for testing of potential medicines are specifically chosen to give as much human relevant information as possible and to avoid species specific reactions which would not predict human effects. Many products which would unsafe or ineffective in humans are detected through animal testing thus avoiding harm to humans. Potential medicines fail in development for many reasons but the fact that medicines are stopped in development for reasons other than unsatisfactory animal testing does not mean that the testing is not essential.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 3,127, came from Cities of London and Westminster.
221,943 of the signatures were from the UK and 13,943 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Cities of London and Westminster | 3,127 |
| Liverpool, Riverside | 1,229 |
| North West Cambridgeshire | 1,060 |
| North East Cambridgeshire | 986 |
| West Dunbartonshire | 924 |
| Paisley and Renfrewshire North | 859 |
| Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill | 843 |
| Huntingdon | 841 |
| Rutherglen and Hamilton West | 810 |
| Garston and Halewood | 785 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Scotland | 28,014 |
| North West | 27,076 |
| South East | 23,976 |
| East of England | 23,103 |
| London | 20,736 |
| Wales | 17,328 |
| West Midlands | 14,784 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 14,311 |
| South West | 13,411 |
| East Midlands | 12,846 |
| North East | 9,075 |
| Northern Ireland | 5,130 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 25 October 2021. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/581641.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
b2447bfbce516340… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.