Irish universities paid hundreds of thousands for invasive animal experiments abroad
The overseas experiments are completely uninspected and uncounted by Ireland’s regulator as they take place outside its jurisdiction. The universities have spent hundreds of thousands of euros in recent years on the animal experiments, and refused to release key documents to our journalists when we tried to uncover the full details of the tests.
Anti-vivisection campaigners have described the practices as “outsourcing cruelty beyond the EU” and called for institutions to be prevented from commissioning overseas experiments that would not be permitted under EU rules. The University of Galway and RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences both acknowledged they have commissioned or paid for animal experiments outside the EU.
The Journal Investigates identified 17 studies for Irish universities that were conducted outside the EU between 2020 and 2026.