Ban the use of dogs for testing and research purposes in the UK
32,267 people signed this petition to the UK Parliament after it opened on 6 October 2023; it closed on 6 April 2024. The Government responded on 6 December 2023. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 19 February 2024.
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 the use of dogs for testing and research purposes in the UK
Dogs display a range of emotions, and their cognitive abilities are complex and advanced. Dogs in laboratories are forced to endure not only psychological trauma due to their restrictive environment but can also undergo harmful experiments that cause pain and suffering.
In 2022, the number of dogs experimented on in Great Britain was 4,122. Most are used in regulatory procedures for testing the safety of products and devices for human medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine. An All-Party Parliamentary Group has acknowledged that 92% of drugs fail in human trials despite being tested on animals. Given the low scientific value of these experiments, combined with major advances in non-animal methods (NAMs), we believe testing on dogs should be banned, in the same way as for Great Apes since 1997.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 6 December 2023; the petitions site lists the Department of Health and Social Care as responsible. Its summary:
The government does not agree to the proposed ban. Testing would continue in other countries. The UK still requires such data to ensure the safety of medicines before testing in humans.
The opening 313 words of the 784-word response:
While there is a drive to replace the use of animals in scientific procedures with suitable non-animal alternatives, the carefully regulated use of animals in scientific research remains necessary to protect humans and the wider environment. The Government therefore does not agree to ban the use of dogs for testing and research purposes in the UK.
The use of animals remains important for understanding how biological systems work, in the development of safe new medicines, treatments and technologies, and in testing chemicals. Therefore, our current approach is to actively support and fund the development and dissemination of techniques that replace, reduce and refine the use of animals in research (the 3Rs), and to ensure that the UK continues to have a robust regulatory system for licensing animal studies and enforcing legal standards.
The use of animals in science is highly regulated, including a three-tier system of licensing which licenses each establishment, project and individual involved in performing regulated procedures involving animals. All establishments are required to have dedicated individuals, including veterinary surgeons with legal responsibilities for the care and welfare of animals, and an ethical review body, which reviews any proposals for the use of animals and promotes the 3Rs of animal use. The UK Home Office regulator conducts an integrated assessment of the compliance of all licence holders including on-site inspections. The Government has published and enforces standards for the care and accommodation of all animals bred, supplied or used for scientific purposes.
The UK has the highest welfare score in the G7 according to the world Animal Protection Index and some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world. Since the 2021 publication of the Action Plan for Animal Welfare, we have delivered key manifesto commitments: we have increased the penalties for those convicted of animal cruelty, passed the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 and launched the Animal Sentience Committee.
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, 129, came from Saffron Walden.
31,867 of the signatures were from the UK and 400 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Saffron Walden | 129 |
| Newbury | 116 |
| Huntingdon | 103 |
| North West Cambridgeshire | 102 |
| Somerton and Frome | 102 |
| South Norfolk | 101 |
| South Northamptonshire | 100 |
| North East Hertfordshire | 97 |
| South Suffolk | 97 |
| North Cornwall | 96 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| South East | 5,323 |
| East of England | 3,968 |
| North West | 3,680 |
| South West | 3,392 |
| London | 2,717 |
| West Midlands | 2,561 |
| East Midlands | 2,374 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 2,323 |
| Scotland | 1,995 |
| Wales | 1,716 |
| North East | 1,221 |
| Northern Ireland | 396 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 19 February 2024. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/645885.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
b280673345c3538c… - 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.