A CONTROVERSIAL animal testing laboratory has been ordered to improve, after a damning report said that it may have allowed animals to suffer unnecessarily.

An investigation by the Home Office into Wickham Laboratories revealed “poor practice” in methods of killing mice and called for improvements to be made in the humane killing of animals.

The report was launched following a series of animal cruelty allegations by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV), which infiltrated the laboratory. These included claims that staff were incompetent when it came to killing mice humanely, using either “cruel poisoning tests” or breaking their necks on the floor in the corridor.

Although inspectors found some potential breaches of the lab’s animal testing licence, many of the accusations were found to be unsubstantiated, and testing was confirmed to be “entirely legitimate”.

Of the report’s 12 key findings, problems were identified in four, including the poor practice of killing mice, where it was found to be “inconsistent, at times incompetent and requires improvement”.

The report also agreed with the BUAV that tests were running too long and should be stopped earlier, stating “this may have caused additional unnecessary suffering to protected animals”.

But there was no evidence to back up the majority of concerns raised by the BUAV, and it was confirmed that all testing of botulinum products is for medical purposes and not for cosmetic products or ingredients.

Michelle Thew, BUAV chief executive, said: “We are pleased that the Home Office has substantiated many of the BUAV’s findings, some of which echo our previous investigation of this establishment.

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“In light of this report, we call upon the Government to remove the licence from Wickham Laboratories and urgently ensure that the available non-animal alternatives are used.”

Wickham Labs has accepted the findings of the report and has already made improvements in the areas highlighted.

Chris Bishop, who has overall responsibility for animal care at Wickham Labs, said: “We have taken seriously the issues raised in this report. Over the last year we have improved our practices and we constantly strive to improve the care of our animals.

“We are proud of the contribution we make to the world around us and paramount to this is the welfare and care of our research animals.”