The Irish Anti-Vivisection Society will be taking part in the Dublin Mind Body Experience at the RDS on Friday 27th & Saturday 28th February, and Sunday 1st March 2026.
We are currently seeking IAVS members to help represent us on our stand. During the event, we will be raising awareness about Botox animal testing in the cosmetics industry and proudly re-launching our HUMANE Research Fund.
Imagine a rat or mouse trapped in a cylindrical, water-filled container. The walls are smooth; there is no way out. For several minutes, the animal swims around frantically and panicking until it gives up, expending only the bare minimum of energy to keep its head above water. Finally, the person conducting the experiment removes the animal from the container. The experiment is over. The rat (or mouse) is later killed.
The IAVS & LSCV demands a ban on the forced swim test in Switzerland! Please sign and share this petition with your friends and family!
The Irish Anti-Vivisection Society is highly critical of the Government and Health Products Regulatory Authority for allowing painful animal tests to increase in Ireland for the second year in a row. Official figures released on the HPRA website on 16th December 2025 reveal a shocking increase in the number of animals used in Irish laboratories in 2024, up by 5,710 to 112,349 compared with 2023. Since 2022, the annual toll has risen by 19,410 animals.
The number of experiments involving the infliction of ‘severe’ pain and suffering remains unacceptably high, with 19,054 enduring such extreme cruelty, representing an increase of over 44%, or almost 6,000 animals, in just two years.
MORE THAN 112,000 animals were used for research and testing purposes in Irish laboratories during 2024, representing a 5% increase on the previous year, new figures have revealed.
Mice were used in almost 86% of the experiments but other species included dogs, guinea pigs, rabbits, horses, goats, and ferrets. Around 1,400 animals were used in more than one experiment. Just over 19,000 of the experiments involved “severe” pain and suffering for the animals, as categorised by the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), which is responsible for protecting animals used for scientific purposes.
The increase in the use of animals in Irish labs for a second consecutive year has been criticised by the Irish Anti-Vivisection Society (IAVS), which said the rise in “severe” experiments was particularly worrying. “The number of experiments involving the infliction of ‘severe’ pain and suffering remains unacceptably high, with 19,054 enduring such extreme cruelty, representing an increase of over 44%, or almost 6,000 animals, in just two years,” said a spokesman.
More than 112,000 animals were used for research and testing purposes in Irish laboratories during 2024, representing a five per cent increase on the previous year, new figures have revealed.
Mice were used in almost 86 per cent of the experiments but other species included dogs, guinea pigs, rabbits, horses, goats, and ferrets. Around 1,400 animals were used in more than one experiment.
Just over 19,000 of the experiments involved “severe” pain and suffering for the animals, as categorised by the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), which is responsible for protecting animals used for scientific purposes.
We are strongly encouraging our members to take just a few minutes to complete the public consultation launched by the European Commission on updating EU legislation on on-farm animal welfare – including phasing out the use of cages for farm animals.
Please help!
Fill in the survey, and make your voice heard!
Every year, more than 1,600 monkeys are used in experiments in Germany, many of them in particularly severe procedures such as toxicity tests, organ transplants, or invasive brain surgeries. During years in captivity, the monkeys are poisoned, suffer drill holes in their skulls, and are being restrained and kept thirsty.
Doctors Against Animal Experiments, together with PETA Germany, has submitted a petition to the Bundestag, the German parliament, calling for an end to experiments on non-human primates in Germany.
Please help!
Sign the petition now
House of Representatives will no longer provide money for monkey testing!
Today, the House of Representatives took an important step towards a future without monkey testing. An amendment by Member of Parliament Ines Kostić (Party for the Animals), which advocates a gradual shift of research budgets for the BPRC to animal-free methods, was adopted.1
The BPRC currently receives 12.5 million euros per year from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW). This amendment will not change this amount, but the BPRC will have to spend an increasing part of its budget on alternatives to animal testing over the next five years.
The amendment was co-signed by Members of Parliament from various political parties: Laurens Dassen (Volt), Laura Bromet (GroenLink), Joost Eerdmans (JA21), Doğukan Ergin (DENK), Sandra Beckerman (SP) and Dion Graus (PVV).
The ethical and scientific crossroads
Millions of animals suffer in laboratories across Europe and globally each year, including dogs, cats, monkeys, and rodents (1). This practice is undergoing a significant re-evaluation due to ethical concerns and scientific limitations. Animal experimentation, long a staple of biomedical research and regulatory testing, is increasingly challenged by evidence of its poor applicability to human health.
A paradigm shift is underway, driven by scientific innovation, ethical pressure, and policy reforms, moving towards animal-free research methodologies (2). These Non-Animal Methodologies (NAMs) aim not just to reduce animal suffering but to provide scientifically superior tools. The language is evolving from "alternatives" to "replacements" and "superior methods," reflecting growing confidence in human-based approaches (3). Advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), organoids, and organs-on-a-chip, coupled with public demand for ethical science (e.g., European Citizens' Initiatives (4)), are accelerating this transition. This article explores the failings of animal experimentation, the potential of NAMs, global policy shifts in the EU and US, and the next steps towards animal-free science.
IAVS is proud to mark World Day for Laboratory Animals 2025 with a €5000 donation to Replacing Animal Research
Their incredible work funds innovative, human-based research methods that replace the need for animal testing — advancing science and compassion side by side. From supporting the pioneering FRAME Laboratory to empowering young researchers through studentships and grants, every project moves us closer to a humane future.
