Animal experiments increase again

GM animals and "harmful mutant" animals largely account for the rise

The number of animal experiments carried out in the UK rose by 3% last year, according to government figures.

The rise was largely due to an increase in the use of genetically modified (GM) and mutant animals, a trend which shows no signs of abating.
The news comes as campaigners warn a new EU directive threatens standards of welfare for UK lab animals.
They argue that a number of the directive's regulations fall short of those already in place in the UK.
Just over 3.7 million scientific experiments on animals were started in Great Britain in 2010, an increase of 105,000 on the previous year.
The statistics show that breeding to produce genetically modified (GM) animals and harmful mutants (an animal with potentially harmful genetic defects) rose by 87,000 to 1.6 million procedures.
This rise, largely due to the increased breeding of mice and fish, represents an increase of 6%.
But when GM animals are excluded from the statistics, the total number of procedures rose by 18,000, from 2.09 million to 2.10 million.
Home Office minister Lynn Featherstone commented: "The figures released today once again show the important work being done in this country to regulate animal procedures and ensure the highest standards of animal protection are upheld.
"The UK has one of the most rigorous systems in the world to ensure that animal research and testing is strictly regulated."