Animal research numbers

The University uses animals only when there are no alternatives, and is firmly committed to the replacement, reduction and refinement of the use of animals in research.

Find out more about how we look after animal welfare.

Animals used and severity of procedure

How we define severity categories

Procedures carried out on animals are considered to be 'regulated procedures' only if they are carried out for a scientific purpose and only if the severity is equivalent to or greater than the pain, suffering and distress caused by the insertion of a hypodermic needle in line with good veterinary practice.

Non-recovery: Procedures performed entirely under general anaesthesia and from which the animal does not recover consciousness prior to being humanely killed.

Sub threshold: Procedures that are expected to cause minimal or no pain. Examples could be the breeding of genetically altered animals without a harmful phenotype or the inclusion of an additive in feed where the animals ate normally and experienced no effect.

Mild: Mild procedures may cause short-term mild pain, and/or minor changes in well-being or condition. Examples of a mild procedure include, non-invasive imaging eg an MRI scan or the taking of a blood sample.

Moderate: Moderate procedures may cause short-term moderate pain, or long-lasting mild pain. They can result in moderate impairment in well-being or condition. Examples of a moderate procedure include the introduction of cancer-causing cells and surgery under general anaesthesia.

Severe: Procedures that are likely to cause severe impairment of the well-being or general condition of the animals. Examples of a severe procedure include spinal cord injury research and the production of a genetically altered animal that develops a neurological disease.

Most of our animal research falls within the sub-threshold and mild categories and this is achieved through the stringent ethical review prior to any animal being used in our research.

You can find national statistics on animals in research and other institutions on the Understanding Animal Research statistics website.