The UK government has released its 2019 annual statistics on animals used in scientific procedures.
The figures show that 3,401,517 procedures using animals were carried out, which is 3% fewer than 2018, and the lowest number since 2007.
Half of these procedures were the creation or breeding of genetically altered (GA) animals, while the other half were experimental procedures.
Mice, fish, and rats accounted for 93% of procedures, and cats, dogs, and primates made up 0.2% of procedures.
Understanding Animal Research also released a list of the ten organisations in Great Britain that carry out the highest number of animal procedures – roughly half of the overall total.
“Research into what causes different diseases and finding new ways to prevent and treat them often requires us to work with animals,” said Dr Jan-Bas Prins, of the Francis Crick Institute, in central London, the organisation where the highest number of procedures were recorded – 258,557.