Dogs, cats and rabbits were among almost 93,000 animals used for research and scientific experiments in Ireland last year, according to newly released figures.
It represents a decrease of over 23 per cent compared to 2021. However, there was a notable rise in the number of dogs, cats, rabbits and horses used in lab tests last year.
The most frequently used animals in 2022 were mice, around 50,000 of which are understood to have been used in lethal experiments intended to test the strength of cosmetic botox.
READ MORE: 120,000 animals used for medical research purposes at Ireland’s top universities killed since 2020
The Irish Anti-Vivisection Society (IAVS) has described these as "among the cruellest procedures inflicted on animals in labs", and claimed that a humane alternative exists.
"Several years ago, companies developed modern, cell-based tests for botox potency which normally don’t use animals," said Dr Dan Lyons, policy consultant with the IAVS.
"However, secrecy and commercial considerations have hindered the sharing of these new testing technologies with other botox companies, and so the unnecessary suffering continues."
Dr Lyons said the reduction in the number of animals used in scientific experiments last year was the "one silver lining" contained in the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) latest annual report.
"This continues a trend over the last six years, largely driven by the gradual replacement of botox animal tests," he said.
"However, the IAVS is deeply concerned that this positive trend is more by luck than judgement. The HPRA makes clear that it does not have a proactive strategy to reduce animal testing for good.
"Trends in animal testing are, according to the HPRA, out of its hands and instead are largely dependent on external commercial and technological developments."
In addition to the 92,939 animals that were used in scientific testing, 528 mice were also used to create and maintain colonies of genetically altered animals, according to the HPRA report.
Mice also accounted for 67,320 of the animals used in experiments in 2022, along with 13,082 rats. A total of 113 dogs were used 264 times in experiments, while 32 cats were used 50 times.
A total of 1,012 rabbits were used in testing, as well as 259 horses, 219 ferrets, 42 hamsters, 1,460 pigs, and 3,544 sheep.
The severity of the experiments was "severe" in 13,212 cases, and "moderate" in 26,721 cases. A total of 52,398 experiments were "mild" in severity for the animals involved, while 1,494 were described as "non-recovery".
Dr Lyons criticised the HPRA’s approach to the enforcement of animal welfare regulations, claiming that the body does "the bare minimum in terms of pushing for the replacement of animal tests with modern, human-based technologies".
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