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.