Severity statistics
Each regulated procedure is assigned a severity which describes the animals experience.
The statistics for animal use are based on animals used in regulated procedures.
The definition of a regulated procedure from the legislation is any "procedure applied to a protected animal for a qualifying purpose which may have the effect of causing the animal a level of pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm equivalent to, or higher than, that caused by the introduction of a needle in accordance with good veterinary practice."
For each procedure a 'severity' is assigned which describes the experience of the animal as categorised below:
-
Sub-threshold. These procedures may result in below threshold severity. For example, the procedure was expected to cause pain or suffering equal to, or higher than, that caused by inserting a hypodermic needle but the actual experience was in fact less than this. Examples of this include:
-
The breeding of genetically altered animals under project licence authority but without a harmful phenotype
-
Dispensing medication in food where the animals ate normally and suffered no ill-effects
-
- Mild. These procedures may cause short-term mild pain, suffering or distress and/or minor changes in well-being or condition. Mild procedures can include:
- Anaesthesia
- Non-invasive imaging such as a MRI scan
- Short term social isolation
- Taking a blood sample
- Moderate. These procedures may cause short-term moderate pain, long-lasting mild pain, suffering or distress. They can result in a moderate impairment to well-being. Examples include:
- Surgery under general anaesthetic
- A modified diet
- Exposing the animal to something from which they would normally flee
- Severe. These procedures are where it is likely that the animal will experience severe pain, long-lasting moderate pain, suffering or distress and severe impairments to its well-being or general condition. Examples include:
- Any test where fatalities are expected
- Testing a device that could cause pain or death were it to fail
- Breeding animals with genetic disorders that are expected to result in severe and persistent impairment of general condition
- Non-recovery. Where the animal is placed under general anaesthetic before the start of a procedure and is humanely killed without regaining consciousness.
In 2023, the University carried out 139881 scientific procedures involving animals. The actual severities are detailed in the table below.
Species | Non-recovery | Sub-threshold | Mild | Moderate | Severe | Total | |
Rodents |
1921 (2.0%)
|
|
20177 (21.3) |
16556 (17.5%) |
1827 (1.9%) |
94761 | |
Fish |
374 (0.9%) |
24935 (58.4%) |
16718 (39.2%) |
625 (1.5%) |
13 (0.03%) |
42665 | |
Birds | 0 |
1057 (66.1%) |
528 (33.0%) |
14 (0.9%) |
0
|
1599 | |
Agricultural species (cattle, sheep, pigs) |
167 (29.9%) |
50 (9.0%) |
230 (41.2%) |
109 (19.5%) |
2 (0.4%)
|
558 | |
Animals monitored in the wild (sheep, deer) |
0
|
0 |
298 (100%) |
0 | 0 | 298 | |
Total | 2462 | 80322 | 37951 | 17304 | 1842 | 139,881 | |
Percentage | 1.8% | 57.4% | 27.1% | 12.4% | 1.3% | 100% |
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