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Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) guidance and regulatory advice

You can read ASRU guidance that explains how the act is administered and enforced including detailed regulatory advice for licence holders

• Household products testing ban

• Guidance on the use of human material in animals

• Use, keeping alive and re-use

• Harm-benefit analysis

• Re-homing and setting free

• Working with animals taken from the wild

• Code of practice for the care and accommodation of animals

• E?cient breeding of genetically altered animals

• Severity classification of genetically altered animals

• Recording and reporting the actual severity of regulated procedures

• Process and standards for establishment full system audits

• Standard genetically altered rodents protocols (PDF, 280 KB, 40 pages)
• Standard genetically altered zebrafish protocols (PDF, 263 KB, 28 pages)

• Guidance on the use of standard genetically altered animals protocols (PDF, 104 KB, 5 pages)

• Guidance notes for project licence applications

From 5 July 2021, ASRU now provides regulatory delivery through 2 teams covering different areas each of which has a dedicated inbox. Read the Bridging ways of working guidance for advice.

Apply for licences

Three licences are required by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) before testing on animals is allowed. The 3 licences needed are:

• personal licence for each person carrying out procedures on animals

• project licence for the programme of work

• establishment licence for the place at which the work is carried out

You should use the Animals in Science Procedures e-Licensing (ASPeL) system for all personal and project licence applications.

Contact your establishments Home Office liaison contact/administrator to start your application online.

If you are from an establishment that is not yet licensed, email ASPELTechnicalQueries@homeoffice.gov.uk.

Any named person responsible for animal welfare on the establishment licence will need to complete a conflict of interest declaration form.

Before applying, please read the standard conditions for personal licences, project licences and establishment licences.

You can also read guidance on:

• data protection impact assessment for the Animals in Science Procedures e-Licensing system

Prospective authority licensing requests

Animal studies carried out to meet regulatory requirements will be performed in compliance with UK and EU legislative bodies.

Where studies are performed for other regulatory bodies, for example the US, and the study requirements exceed the UK or EU regulatory requirements, you must submit a prospective authorisation request form to ASRU.

The project licence holder at the establishment should complete the Prospective authorisation form (MS Word Document, 107 KB). Submit the completed form to asrulicensing@homeoffice.gov.uk.

Project Licence Standard Condition 18 notification

All project licences are subject to a set of standard conditions. Standard Condition 18 requires that the project licence holder (PPLh) notifies the Secretary of State as soon as possible if constraints on the severity limits, or observance of other controls described in the licence, have been breached or are likely to have been breached.

You can read the Advice note - Project Licence Standard Condition 18 Notification (PDF, 544 KB, 22 pages), and use the form Project Licence Standard Condition 18 Notification form (ODT, 31.8 KB) to make reports.

Annual returns on the use

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