Birds and mice used in animal testing at NI labs have been left without food or water and housed in cages smaller than required by law in a number of breaches, it has emerged.
Queen’s and Ulster universities as well as private firms and non-profit groups experimented on 22,707 animals including beagle dogs, cats, birds, mice, rats, fish, rabbits and farm animals in 2020.
Since 2017, there have been 13 breaches to animal testing law in Northern Ireland - almost half of which took place in 2021.
Read more: Vet paid £1.25m in unfair dismissal 'wouldn't call it a victory'
They also include blood samples being taken from wild animals without a licence.
According to Department of Health stats, 147 animals died after experiments in 2020.
Animal cruelty charity the USPCA has urged the scientists behind the tests to find a better way to make their advances, including vaccines, rather than inflicting suffering on sentient beings that sometimes die or are left in pain as a result.
The charity’s chief executive, Brendan Mullan, said: “These breaches are shocking and it certainly creates the impression that these animals are seen by some as objects, and not as sentient beings.
“Animals feel stress and pain and there is an obligation to look at alternatives such as in vitro research as well as computer-based research using AI and scientific models, but this needs investment.”
While the Animal Scientific Procedures Act (ASPA) dictates UK law on animal testing, Northern Ireland’s Department for Health is repsonsible for issuing licences here.
Almost 60% of the procedures they greenlit in 2020 were at Queen’s University and Ulster University.
Both admitted to the BBC they are involved in animal experiments.
Queen’s University said: “Queen’s conducts research on animals only when it is absolutely essential for clinical, biomedical and environmental studies and where there are no alternatives.
“All such work is heavily regulated.”
Ulster University said it “only carries out animal testing when absolutely necessary; when there are no scientifically suitable or viable alternatives”.
We asked both if any of they were responsible for any of the 13 breaches reported but they have not yet responded to our request for a comment.
Of the six animal testing breaches reported in 2021, inspectors uncovered two while four were raised by those responsible.
It is understood there have been no prosecutions or convictions under ASPA in Northern Ireland since 2017.
According to the latest animal testing stats for Northern Ireland the number of procedures carried out was down 19.4% from 2019.
It is thought the various Covid-91 lockdowns may be responsible for the fall.
The number of tests on cats, dogs, birds, pigs and fish was up while procedures carried out on mice, rats, sheep and cattle fell.
Of the 22,707 procedures in 2020, 15,729 were experiments and 6,278 related to the creation and breeding of genetically modified creatures.
The Department for Health has been contacted for comment about the 13 breaches.
Read more: Badger group warns farmers of "growing anger" over bovine TB mass cull proposals
Read more: 'Badgers should be vaccinated for bovine TB not killed'
To get the latest breaking news straight to your inbox, sign up to our free newsletter.
