Shocking statistics released by the Department of Health show nearly 25,000 animals were experimented on in Northern Ireland for the first time in 2017.
That’s compared to 21,247 the previous year.
Around half the animals were mice, a third were cattle, 102 of these were dogs – specifically beagles – and 90 were cats.
Nearly 5,000 of the animals – mice and rats – were bred with genetic modifications.
The report, Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Northern Ireland 2017, stated that the main purposes of the experiments were research into disease, testing drugs and foodstuffs, protection of the natural environment, preservation of the species; higher education or training for vocational skills, and forensic inquiries.
The dogs and cats involved were only subjected to mild procedures, while over 6,000 mice underwent moderate or severe procedures.
The majority of procedures undertaken in 2017 (15,974 or 64.5%) were carried out in universities/medical schools. Government departments carried out 5,430 procedures (21.9%). Non-profit-making organisations carried out 2,428 procedures (9.8%) and commercial organisations carried out 924 procedures (3.7%).