Legislation covers the breeding of animals for laboratory purposes in the UK and across the EU. Under EU law animals destined for laboratories must be housed and cared for in a way "appropriate to their health and wellbeing". However, the minimum standards specified only appear as guidelines which do not carry as much 'weight' as mandatory legislation. This highlights the scant regard for the welfare of animals under current law.

Only Great Apes (chimps, orang-utans and gorillas) have been banned from use in experiments in the UK. There is ample evidence for this to, at least, be extended to include other 'higher' animals, like dogs.

The BUAV has submitted a detailed report to the UK Government's Home Office, which regulates the breeding of animals for research. We have exposed breaches of guidelines, including recent amendments to the UK's Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act introduced to help meet EU Directives. Breaches range from the physical and psychological wellbeing of the dogs, through to basic husbandry and management conditions, for individual animals and collectively. The mass scale of the production line inhibits the ability to care for the dogs in the manner they deserve.