Editing Animal testing (section)

===Numbers===
Accurate global figures for animal testing are difficult to obtain; it has been estimated that 100 million vertebrates are experimented on around the world every year,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Taylor |first1=Katy |last2=Gordon |first2=Nicky |last3=Langley |first3=Gill |last4=Higgins |first4=Wendy |date=2008 |title=Estimates for worldwide laboratory animal use in 2005 |journal=ATLA |volume=36 |issue=3 |pages=327–42 |pmid=18662096|doi=10.1177/026119290803600310 |s2cid=196613886 |url=https://animalstudiesrepository.org/acwp_lab/14 |doi-access=free }}</ref> 10–11 million of them in the EU.<ref name="hunter2014">{{cite news | author=Hunter, Robert G. | title=Alternatives to animal testing drive market | quote=While growth has leveled off and there have been significant reductions in some countries, the number of animals used in research globally still totals almost 100 million a year. | work=[[Gen. Eng. Biotechnol. News]] | date=1 January 2014 | page=11 | issue=1 | volume=34 | url=http://www.genengnews.com/gen-articles/alternatives-to-animal-testing-drive-market/5095/ }}{{open access}}</ref> The [[Nuffield Council on Bioethics]] reports that global annual estimates range from 50 to 100 million animals. None of the figures include invertebrates such as shrimp and fruit flies.<ref name="nuffield45">{{cite web|url=http://www.nuffieldbioethics.org/fileLibrary/pdf/RIA_Report_FINAL-opt.pdf |title=The Ethics of research involving animals |publisher=Nuffield Council on Bioethics |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080625033250/http://www.nuffieldbioethics.org/fileLibrary/pdf/RIA_Report_FINAL-opt.pdf |archive-date=25 June 2008 }}</ref>[[File:Animaltesting.svg|thumb|356x356px|Number of animals under the Animal Welfare Act (A.W.A.) used or held for research, testing, teaching, experimentation, and/or surgery in U.S. research facilities in 2021]]The&nbsp;USDA/APHIS&nbsp;has&nbsp;published the 2016 animal research statistics. Overall, the number of animals (covered by the Animal Welfare Act) used in research in the US&nbsp;rose 6.9%&nbsp;from 767,622 (2015) to 820,812 (2016).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://speakingofresearch.com/2017/06/19/usda-publishes-2016-animal-research-statistics-7-rise-in-animal-use/|title=USDA publishes 2016 animal research statistics – 7% rise in animal use|date=2017-06-19|work=Speaking of Research|access-date=2017-12-10}}</ref> This includes both public and private institutions. By comparing with EU data, where all [[vertebrate]] species are counted, [[Speaking of Research]] estimated that around 12 million vertebrates were used in research in the US in 2016.<ref name="USDA2016">{{cite web|url=http://speakingofresearch.com/facts/statistics/|title=USDA Statistics for Animals Used in Research in the US|publisher=Speaking of Research|date=20 March 2008}}</ref> A 2015 article published in the ''[[Journal of Medical Ethics]]'', argued that the use of animals in the US has dramatically increased in recent years. Researchers found this increase is largely the result of an increased reliance on genetically modified mice in animal studies.<ref name="GoodmanChandnaRoe">{{cite journal|last1=Goodman|first1=J.|last2=Chandna|first2=A.|last3=Roe|first3=K.|date=2015|title=Trends in animal use at US research facilities|url=http://jme.bmj.com/content/early/2015/01/27/medethics-2014-102404.abstract|journal=Journal of Medical Ethics|volume=41|issue=7|pages=567–69|doi=10.1136/medethics-2014-102404|pmid=25717142|s2cid=46187262|access-date=7 July 2015}}</ref>

In 1995, researchers at Tufts University Center for Animals and Public Policy estimated that 14–21 million animals were used in American laboratories in 1992, a reduction from a high of 50 million used in 1970.<ref>Rowan, A., Loew, F., and Weer, J. (1995) "The Animal Research Controversy. Protest, Process and Public Policy: An Analysis of Strategic Issues." ''Tufts University'', North Grafton. cited in Carbone 2004, p. 26.</ref> In 1986, the U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment reported that estimates of the animals used in the U.S. range from 10 million to upwards of 100 million each year, and that their own best estimate was at least 17 million to 22 million.<ref>''Alternatives to Animal Use in Research, Testing and Education'', U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment, Washington, D.C.:Government Printing Office, 1986, p. 64. In 1966, the Laboratory Animal Breeders Association estimated in testimony before Congress that the number of mice, rats, guinea pigs, hamsters, and rabbits used in 1965 was around 60 million. (Hearings before the Subcommittee on Livestock and Feed Grains, Committee on Agriculture, U.S. House of Representatives, 1966, p. 63.)</ref> In 2016, the Department of Agriculture listed 60,979 dogs, 18,898 cats, 71,188 non-human primates, 183,237 guinea pigs, 102,633 hamsters, 139,391 rabbits, 83,059 farm animals, and 161,467 other mammals, a total of 820,812, a figure that includes all mammals except purpose-bred mice and rats. The use of dogs and cats in research in the U.S. decreased from 1973 to 2016 from 195,157 to 60,979, and from 66,165 to 18,898, respectively.<ref name=USDA2016 />

In the UK, Home Office figures show that 3.79 million procedures were carried out in 2017.<ref name="UK Home Office 2016">{{cite web|date=2017|url=http://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/news/communications-media/animal-research-numbers-in-2017/ |title=Animal research numbers in 2017 |publisher=Understanding Animal Research}}</ref> 2,960 procedures used non-human primates, down over 50% since 1988. A "procedure" refers here to an experiment that might last minutes, several months, or years. Most animals are used in only one procedure: animals are frequently euthanized after the experiment; however death is the endpoint of some procedures.<ref name=nuffield45/>
The procedures conducted on animals in the UK in 2017 were categorised as: 43% (1.61 million) sub-threshold, 4% (0.14 million) non-recovery, 36% (1.35 million) mild, 15% (0.55 million) moderate, and 4% (0.14 million) severe.<ref name=SR2017>{{cite web|url=https://speakingofresearch.com/facts/uk-statistics/ |title=Home Office Statistics for Animals Used in Research in the UK |publisher=Speaking of Research|date=23 October 2012 }}</ref> A 'severe' procedure would be, for instance, any test where death is the end-point or fatalities are expected, whereas a 'mild' procedure would be something like a blood test or an MRI scan.<ref name="UK Home Office 2016" />