Scotland's universities and labs conduct over one million animal tests since 2021
A report by OneKind reveals that more than one million animal experiments were carried out in Scotland between 2021 and 2025, with universities and private firms among the main users.
OneKind's new report documents 1,142,363 animal procedures carried out in Scotland between 2021 and 2025, with mice accounting for 64% and zebrafish 13% of the total. Universities in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee, Heriot-Watt, Robert Gordon, St Andrews, Stirling and Strathclyde are listed as major sites, and Glasgow and Edinburgh rank sixth and eighth respectively among UK universities for animal use. Private companies, including Charles River Laboratories, the Moredun Research Institute and Concept Life Sciences, also conduct experiments on dogs, monkeys, rats and mice.
The charity describes the testing as a "mass campaign of mental and physical torture" and urges the Scottish Government to promote alternatives, while university spokespeople argue that animal work remains essential for studying diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s and flu. The Home Office regulates the licences, but the report cites several instances of non-compliance, such as animals being kept beyond humane endpoints.
Why it matters
The scale of animal testing in Scotland raises ethical concerns and highlights the need for alternative research methods.
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