According to statistics, over 3.2 million experiments had been carried out by British scientists on dogs, cats, monkeys and other animals in 2007, which is the highest rate since the early 1990s.
Although the opposition was promised that the government will cut the number of animals used in experiments, figures show that for the past 11 years the government has been in charge of a continuous increase in the number of animals that scientists use in their researches.
According to the ministers, the experiments are tightly monitored, being essential for medical studies. However, the anti-vivisection groups said that the government broke the word on promises to search for alternatives.
A six percent (190,000) increase was registered last year, when the number of experiments reached 3,202,000. The increase is due to continuous developments in the field of genetics, and namely in propagation of genetically modified mice and fish for studies in which genes that cause various diseases are introduced or removed.
In 2007 about 1.15 million procedures occurred, which is an increase of 114,000.
"For a government that claims animals are only used when absolutely necessary, this is a shameful record indeed" said Wendy Higgins, of the Dr Hadwen Trust, which is a charity that supports humane medical research.
"Advances with non-animal test methods continue to be made but at present licensed animal use remains essential to develop improved healthcare technologies," said Meg Hillier, a Home Office minister.
Source: Independent.co.uk
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