Section 9: Restrictions on experiment

9. Restrictions on experiment (1) No licensee shall perform an experiment except in accordance with this Act and the conditions of his licence. (2) No licensee shall perform an experiment for the purpose of attaining manual skill. (3) Subject to subsection (5), no licensee shall perform an experiment except — (a) for the purpose of the advancement by new discovery of — (i) physiological knowledge; or (ii) any knowledge which will be useful for saving or prolonging life, alleviating suffering or combating any disease of human beings, animals or plants; (b) for the purpose of testing any previous discovery alleged to have been made for the advancement of the types of knowledge referred to in paragraph (a); or (c) on the written order of a Judge who is satisfied that it is essential for the purposes of justice in a criminal case to perform the experiment. (4) Subject to subsection (5), no licensee shall perform an experiment unless — (a) throughout the experiment, the animal is under the influence of anaesthetic of sufficient power to prevent the animal from feeling pain; and (b) the animal is administered appropriate sedation where the pain is likely to continue after the effect of the anaesthetic has ceased. (5) Subsections (3) and (4) shall not apply in the case of a routine bacteriological or pathological investigation carried out by a public officer in the performance of his duties. (S. 9 came into operation on 1 February 2017.)