LONDON (BBC): The UK government has launched its delivery plan to replace, refine and reduce the use of animals in research - known as “the 3Rs”. It pledges to encourage scientists to use alternatives wherever possible. But there is no commitment in the strategy released on Friday to reduce the total number of animal experiments, which has been on the rise. This is despite a post-election pledge by the Coalition to cut the use of animals in scientific research. Instead, the government will promote new, more ethical research techniques which can help boost UK science.