Amending the Public Order Act 2023

Thank you to everyone who contacted me regarding the amendments to the Public Order Act 2023 that will redefine animal testing facilities as ‘Key National Infrastructure’. Please know that the Statutory Instrument to amend the Public Order Act 2023 will not alter our commitment to phasing out animal testing and maintaining high standards of animal welfare. I know our Government has outlined the intention of the amendments, namely that they will help to safeguard animal welfare through enabling scientific establishments to continue their operations in compliance with ASPA without disruptions, which could risk their work to protect animals. The UK’s legal framework already requires that animals are only used in science where no validated alternatives exist. Our Government is accelerating efforts to develop and adopt these alternatives. Back in November, our Government published a strategy setting out a long-term vision for a world where the use of animals in science is eliminated except in exceptional circumstances, by creating a research and innovation system that drives the development and validation of alternative methods.

Recent protest activity has deliberately targeted the life sciences sector, threatening the UK’s sovereign capability to produce vaccines and therapies, and disrupting supply chains vital to research and national health protection. Peaceful protest is a fundamental part of our democratic society, and everyone in this country will always be able to freely express their views – I understand this change has been brought in to ensure police are provided powers to respond proportionately to disruptive protest activity which could be considered to undermine the nation’s health.