Northern Ireland Animal Research Numbers, 2017
· 24,756 procedures conducted in Northern Ireland in 2017
· Procedures up 11.44% from 2016
· Procedures in mice down by 19.21% from 2016
A report from the Department of Health in Northern Ireland shows that 24,756 procedures were conducted on animals in 2017. This represents approximately 0.6% of animal research across the UK.
|
Species |
Experimental Procedures |
% |
Creation & Breeding of GA animals not used in experimental procedures |
% |
Total Procedures (2017) |
% of total |
|
Mice |
10,076 |
50.23% |
4,698 |
100% |
14,774 |
59.68% |
|
Rats |
1,105 |
5.51% |
0 |
|
1,105 |
4.46% |
|
Cattle |
6,241 |
31.11% |
0 |
|
6,241 |
25.21% |
|
Domestic fowl |
916 |
4.57% |
0 |
|
916 |
3.70% |
|
Fish |
402 |
2.00% |
0 |
|
402 |
1.62% |
|
Other animals |
1,318 |
6.57% |
0 |
|
1,318 |
5.32% |
|
Total |
20,058 |
100% |
4,698 |
100% |
24,756 |
100% |
|
Species |
Total procedures (2016) |
Total procedures (2017) |
% change from 2016 |
|
Mice |
18,287 |
14,774 |
-19.21% |
|
Rats |
567 |
1,105 |
94.89% |
|
Cattle |
1,072 |
6,241 |
482.18% |
|
Domestic fowl |
259 |
916 |
253.67% |
|
Fish |
310 |
402 |
29.68% |
|
Other animals |
1,568 |
1,014 |
-35.33% |
|
Total |
22,063 |
24,452 |
10.83% |
In 2017 Northern Ireland saw a 11.44% increase in procedures when compared to 2016. There was a decrease in the number of procedures in mice and an increase in the number of procedures in cattle, rats, domestic fowl, and fish when compared the previous year.
Of the 24,756 procedures completed in 2017, 4,698 (19%) related to the creation/breeding of genetically altered animals with the remaining 20,058 (81%) relating to experimental procedures.
|
Severity |
Experimental Procedures |
% |
Creation & Breeding of GA animals not used in experimental procedures |
% |
Total Procedures (2017) |
% of total |
|
Sub-threshold |
364 |
1.81% |
1,477 |
31.44% |
1,841 |
7.44% |
|
Non-recovery |
281 |
1.40% |
0 |
0.00% |
281 |
1.14% |
|
Mild |
11,460 |
57.13% |
2,202 |
46.87% |
13,662 |
55.19% |
|
Moderate |
7,550 |
37.64% |
951 |
20.24% |
8,501 |
34.34% |
|
Severe |
403 |
2.01% |
68 |
1.45% |
471 |
1.90% |
Severity assessments undertaken for the 20,058 experimental procedures indicated that 1.8% were assessed as sub-threshold; 57.1% as mild; 37.6% as moderate; 2% as severe and 1.4% as non-recovery.
In Northern Ireland, 59.5% (14,719) of procedures were undertaken for the purpose of basic research. 5,152 of these procedures were undertaken in cattle for the purpose of understanding the animals’ immune systems and all these procedures in cattle were classified as ‘mild’.
Northern Ireland regulates its animal research and compiles its statistics separately from the rest of the UK (regulated by the Home Office). Every year, the Department of Health in Northern Ireland produces a detailed report explaining what animals were used in different types of research over the year. The research is carefully regulated under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act, 1986.
In 2017, England, Scotland and Wales reported 3,789,373 procedures on animals, of which 93.4% were on mice, fish and rats. No primates have been used in experiments in Northern Ireland in over a decade.
More details on Northern Irish statistics can be found here: https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/publications/statistics-scientific-procedures-living-animals-northern-ireland
Last edited: 31 October 2022 10:20
