Codes of Practice: Rehoming of former laboratory animals

We believe that non-human primates, cats and dogs that have been used in animal experiments must in principle be rehomed to a suitable location until the end of their lives. The intrinsic value of the animal should be the primary consideration. Some licence holders have been doing this for many years now, but this could be further encouraged. Institutions that offer rehoming, do this at their own discretion (including the selection of animals). In our view, the opportunities for rehoming former laboratory animals have not yet been exhausted, and so this matter needs more attention.

In 2016, at the request of then State Secretary for Economic Affairs, we issued an opinion entitled ‘Adoption of former laboratory animals’. The aim of the report is to safeguard the quality of the life of non-human primates, dogs and cats that survive animal testing.

As part of this opinion, three Codes of Practice were drafted that focus specifically on rehoming non-human primates, dogs and cats.