The average number of animals used to check the quality, safety and effectiveness of a single veterinary vaccine batch fell by 41%, from 29 in 2013 to 17 in 2024, figures published on 24 September 2026 by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate show. Overall animal use fell 29% over the same period, despite more vaccines being released. The share of veterinary vaccines reaching the UK market that required any animal testing in quality control dropped from 74% in 2013 to 34% in 2024.

The report attributes the decline to scientific advances and changed testing requirements, including the 2013 removal of the routine Target Animal Batch Safety Test. It says horses, cats, dogs, turkeys and pigeons are no longer needed for routine quality control testing, and that newly authorised vaccines increasingly use animal-free approaches.

Defra minister Baroness Hayman called the figures "real progress for animal welfare". VMD chief executive Abi Seager said the report showed twelve years of sustained, measurable progress and that the body remains committed to further reductions. The report notes animal testing has not yet been replaced for every vaccine type, citing certain clostridial and fish vaccines as scientifically and technically challenging.