Inspection Reports
After two and a half years of hard work, a tribunal ruled that the decision by the Home Office and the Information Commissioner’s Office to withhold MBR’s inspection reports from the public was incorrect. Therefore, we are now able to publish the Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) inspection reports covering the period from 2018 to 2024.
It is both sad and disconcerting to note that these reports shed no light on the inherent cruelty and abuse of dogs inside MBR. At no point do the reports mention any concerns about the appalling conditions in which the beagles are bred and kept. The reports contain no concerns regarding the low level of staffing, no concerns about the lack of bedding, no concerns about the dogs not having access to outdoors, and no concerns about the killing of dogs that do not meet the standards for sale.
The reports, in fact, deteriorate over the years in terms of any reference to the welfare of the dogs. One of the most frequently raised issues throughout the reports concerns cracked paint.
It has been a long struggle to obtain public access to these inspection reports. Reading them makes it clear that it is what they do not mention that speaks volumes. They demonstrate how deeply ASRU inspectors appear to be embedded within the animal testing industry.
Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) – Not Fit for Purpose
ASRU is funded by those it regulates; therefore, its inspectors and staff have a clear conflict of interest. This is demonstrated by the inadequate number of inspectors employed.
In 2022, there was an average of just 5.75 full-time equivalent inspectors directly involved in compliance, and by the end of 2023, staffing levels had fallen even further, with only 4.6 full-time equivalent inspectors to assess the millions of animals used annually in UK laboratories, as documented in the ASRU 2023 Annual Report, published on 17th December 2024.
In this report there were 146 non-compliance cases in UK laboratories, involving 22,204 animals, including dogs, cats, monkeys, mice and other animals. In the majority of cases, the only “remedial action” was that inspectors provided advice.
ASRU is failing animals in UK laboratories and is not fit for purpose.
Less than 5 inspectors do the audits, the rest are part of the licensing team.
Inspections Reports
Click each one to read and/or download:
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
13th September 2021 (announced)
2020
20th September 2024 (risk profile)
24th September 2020 (announced)
27th November 2020 (announced)
2019
13th November 2019 (announced)
2018
12th January 2018 (unannounced)
First Tier Tribunal Decision s24 ASPA 1986 Secrecy Clause
This is an appeal against the Commissioner’s decision notice IC-242999-K2D1 dated 24 October 2023 which held that the Home Office were entitled to withhold the requested information under section 44(1)(a) (prohibitions on disclosure) and section 38(1) (health and safety) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (‘FOIA’).
To Download the Full First Tier Tribunal Decision Resource Sheet Click Here.