Between 1999 and 2000 there was a 2.2% increase in the use of animals in biomedical research. The whole of this increase can be attributed to the increased use of fish to research diseases which affect fish and to research fish husbandry.

The number of animals used increased by 74,000 but the number of fish used increased by 120,000 and the number of birds, including many fertilised hen's eggs, increased by 20,000.

This means that 66,000 fewer animals of other species were used.

The great apes, (chimpanzees, gorillas and orang-utans), have not been used in research programmes in the UK for many years as research scientists imposed a voluntary ban on their use. The government recently made this position an official one and work using great apes is now banned in the UK.

All living vertebrate animals, and one species of octopus used in scientific work in the UK are protected by the Animals (Scientific Procedures Act 1986). Invertebrates such as flies and worms are also used in research, but are not protected under British law.