A rise in the number of animals used in laboratory experiments in some EU countries was condemned as “Europe’s shame” yesterday.
Latest figures compiled by the European Commission show a slight decrease in the total number used across the 27 countries, from 12.1 million in 2005 to 12 million in 2008.
But the figures also show national increases, ranging from a tiny 0.13 per cent rise in France to 610 per cent in Estonia.
Ireland’s use of animals rose by 197 per cent in 2008, with a 21 per cent rise in the UK.
But in terms of numbers, Ireland used only 112,000 animals, compared with 2,266,884 in the UK and 2,328,380 in France, where latest figures relate to 2007.
The UK, France and Germany (an 11 per cent increase in 2008, to 2,021,782), make up 55 per cent of the total number of animals used throughout the EU.
The European Coalition to End Animal Experiments (ECEAE) expressed “profound disappointment at the lack of a significant decrease in the number of animals used in experiments across the EU”.
ECEAE chief executive officer Michelle Thew went on: “Despite the opportunity to improve the lot of animals in laboratories, recently adopted (EU) legislation does not include any mechanism to systematically reduce and ultimately replace the use of animals in research.
“The future looks bleak for the millions of animals who will continue to suffer and die each year in EU laboratories. Tragically we do not believe the situation will improve during the next five years. This is Europe’s shame.”
The figures show that in 2008 the animals used included more than 21,000 dogs (a 12 per cent drop compared with 2005), more than 330,000 rabbits (a seven per cent rise), more than 9.5 million rodents (including an 11 per cent rise in mice), more than 4,000 cats (a five per cent rise), and more than 92,000 pigs (a 40 per cent increase).
The experimental purposes included “fundamental biological research”, and “the production and quality control of products and devices for veterinary medicine”.
There was an increase in the use of animals for testing food additives (from 34,225 to 54,164) and more than 319,000 animals were poisoned to death in toxicology tests – mostly rats and mice but also 354 dogs.
In the UK, just over 2.26 million animals were used in experiments in 2008, a 21 per cent rise of 393,000 compared with 2005.
The Commission says the increase was mostly accounted for by rises in the numbers of fish and mice, while the use of rats fell.
Nearly all the animals used in the UK were mice (53 per cent), rats (15 per cent) and fish (21 per cent).
The report points out: “Cats, dogs, equidae (horses) and non-human primates are accorded special protection in the UK and collectively amounted to 8,105 animals – 0.4 per cent of the animals used and a reduction of 999 compared with 2005.”
It goes on: “Non-human primates accounted for 3,354 animals, 0.15 per cent of animals used, very slightly less as a percentage but 239 more as an absolute number than in 2005.”
More than half the animals used in the UK were involved in “fundamental biological studies, research and development and production and quality control relating to human medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine”.
Toxicological or other safety evaluation accounted for 13 per cent, with eight per cent used in experiments on “the production and quality control of products and devices for human medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine. Overall, about 40 per cent of animals used received some form of anaesthesia – about the same as in 2005”.