Good News! Minister Signals End for Forced Swim Test in the UK
Groundbreaking news for rats and mice! In a meeting with PETA and Wera Hobhouse MP, Lord Hanson, Minister of State at the Home Office, has confirmed the ministry’s intention to no longer grant licenses for the forced swim test. The last remaining licenses will expire in 2028 and will not be renewed. We look forward to Lord Hanson putting this commitment into writing and sending a clear signal to the global scientific community: the UK will not endorse this unreliable and unethical test.
A Historic Win for Animals
This is the first time in UK history that a specific behavioural test on rats and mice has been ended – a truly groundbreaking moment. The decision follows relentless campaigning by PETA, including protests, meetings with officials, and a petition signed by 40,000 compassionate people.
Thank you to everyone who spoke out for animals in laboratories and joined our campaign. When we stand together for animals, we end cruelty.
What Does It Mean for Rats and Mice?
This commitment will mark the end of a cruel and pointless experiment that torments tens of thousands of rats and mice. In this test, experimenters induce panic in vulnerable small animals by forcing them into inescapable cylinders of water. Fearful they might drown, they swim and desperately attempt to climb the steep sides of the container and even dive underwater in search of an escape.
Once the experiment is complete, experimenters usually kill the animals – either by gassing, blunt-force trauma to the head, an overdose of anaesthetic, or by breaking their necks – to study their brains.
Unreliable, Unethical, Over
These callous and worthless tests do nothing to help humans who desperately need treatments.
The scientific community has long criticised the test. The experts from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency have clarified that it is not required for the development of antidepressants and said it could even hinder progress in finding effective new treatments.
At least 18 companies, including many of the world’s top pharmaceutical companies – Johnson & Johnson, Melior Discovery, Creative Biolabs, Sanofi, Bayer, GlaxoSmithKline, AbbVie Inc., Roche, AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk A/S, Boehringer Ingelheim, Pfizer, Amgen, and Bristol Myers Squibb – have said they will not conduct or permit forced swim test experiments in the future.
Leading universities, including the University of Bristol, the University of Bath, and King’s College London, have also rejected this cruel test.
Every Animal Is Someone
Mice and rats are not test tubes with tails. Just like us, they are individuals who value their lives and feel pain and fear.
These highly social animals communicate with each other using high-frequency sounds that are inaudible to the human ear. They form emotional bonds, love their families, and care for one another.
Did you know that male mice woo mates with high-pitched love songs and that infant rats giggle when they are tickled? These intelligent social animals will soon be spared the terror of near-drowning and the violence that follows.
Help End This Test Everywhere
Swiss pharma giant Novartis still supports the cruel and worthless forced swim test. Please urge the company to drop it:
Rodents in UK Labs Need Your Help
Help PETA end all experiments on animals. Please sign our petition urging the government to end cruel sepsis experiments on rats and mice:
Help Animals in 2026: Renew Your PETA Membership!
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