EIR2026/00517 - Environmental KPIs and Omissions in the 2025 Animal Replacement Strategy
Published 10 June 2026
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1. Your request
I am writing to request information concerning the VMD’s contribution to the November 2025 strategy, “Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods.”
While the strategy acknowledges the role of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) in “environmental testing,” there is a notable absence of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) relating to the environmental resource consumption (water, energy, and hazardous waste) of traditional animal laboratories compared to NAM-based facilities.
Please provide:
Any internal briefings or correspondence between the VMD and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) regarding the inclusion (or exclusion) of Environmental Sustainability KPIs for laboratories within the 2025 Strategy.
The rationale or gap analysis held by the VMD that explains why the strategy focuses on the “environmental safety of products” but omits the “environmental impact of the testing process/infrastructure” itself.
Any recorded assessment held by the VMD regarding the carbon footprint and chemical waste output of the UK’s veterinary medicine animal-testing pipeline for the 2024–2025 period.
The names of any external environmental stakeholders (e.g., Environment Agency, NGOs) that were consulted by the VMD specifically regarding the environmental objectives of this strategy.
2. Our reply
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) protects animal health, public health and the environment by assuring the safety, quality and efficacy of veterinary medicines. Our responsibility for the environment relates to the impact of medicines in the environment, once they are administered to animals.
We do not hold any internal briefing or correspondence documents between the VMD and DSIT regarding the inclusion (or exclusion) of Environmental Sustainability KPIs for laboratories within the 2025 Strategy.
We do not have a rationale or gap analysis that explains why the strategy focuses on the “environmental safety of products” but omits the “environmental impact of the testing process/infrastructure” itself. As the VMD were not involved in the drafting of the strategy, we suggest you direct your enquiry to DSIT.
We do not hold a recorded assessment of the carbon footprint and chemical waste output of the UK’s veterinary medicine animal-testing pipeline for the 2024–2025 period.
We did not carry out any consultation with any external environmental stakeholders regarding the environmental objectives of this strategy.