Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (Amendment) Regulations 1998

6.  After Schedule 2 there shall be inserted the following Schedule—

Section 10(2A).

“SCHEDULE 2A ARTICLE 8 OF COUNCIL DIRECTIVE No. 86/609/EEC

1.   All experiments shall be carried out under general or local anaesthesia.

2.   Paragraph 1 above does not apply when:

(a) anaesthesia is judged to be more traumatic to the animal than the experiment itself;

(b) anaesthesia is incompatible with the object of the experiment. In such cases appropriate legislative and/or administrative measures shall be taken to ensure that no such experiment is carried out unnecessarily.

Anaesthesia should be used in the case of serious injuries which may cause severe pain.

3.   If anaesthesia is not possible, analgesics or other appropriate methods should be used in order to ensure as far as possible that pain, suffering, distress or harm are limited and that in any event the animal is not subject to severe pain, distress or suffering.

4.   Provided such action is compatible with the object of the experiment, an anaesthetised animal, which suffers considerable pain once anaesthesia has worn off, shall be treated in good time with pain-relieving means or, if this is not possible, shall be immediately killed by a humane method.”.