Laboratory animal laws breached multiple times in Northern Ireland
Cats and dogs were among the animals to have suffered during medical research experiments that breached animal welfare laws, an investigation by the USPCA found.
NEWS: Universities, private companies, and non-profits in Northern Ireland have breached laws protecting laboratory animals 13 times since 2017, with almost half the violations occurring in 2021, the Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (USPCA) has revealed.
Thousands of animals – mainly mice, cows, and sheep, but also some cats, dogs, and birds – are subjected to experiments in Northern Ireland every year, with data showing there were 22,000 experiments in 2020 alone. That year, 147 of the animals died after being tested on.
The experiments relate to medical research and genetic modification of animals. Queen’s and Ulster University were responsible for 60 percent of those carried out in 2020. The legal breaches included blood samples taken from animals in the wild without a licence, depriving mice and birds of food and water and housing them in smaller cages than required by law.
"These breaches are shocking and it certainly creates the impression that these animals are seen by some as objects, and not as sentient beings,” said USPCA Chief Executive, Brendan Mullan.
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The universities told the BBC that they only carry out research using animal subject when it is “absolutely necessary” and there are no alternatives, and also said that experiments were heavily regulated.
But Mullan pointed out that finding alternatives such as those using in vitro and computer-based methods require investment. While many scientists maintain that animals are essential for medical research, attitudes are slowly changing, with more agreeing on the limitations of animal experiments, and there are a number of research centres that exist to find better alternatives.
Animal testing has been in the spotlight more since Camp Beagle was established in July 2021 by activists outside MBR Acres, a company that breeds and supplies animals for laboratory testing. The UK has a ‘reduce, replace, refine’ (3Rs) policy when it comes to animal testing. In 2020, 2.88 million tests were done on living animals around the country, a 15 percent reduction on the year before. Statistics on animal experiments in the UK are published yearly by the government.
Claire Hamlett is a freelance journalist, writer and regular contributor at Surge. Based in Oxford, UK, Claire tells stories that challenge systemic exploitation of and disregard for animals and the environment and that point to a better way of doing things.
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