Biomedical sector in Portugal welcomes 2022 EU report on the number of animals used in research and testing

The Portuguese biomedical research sector has welcomed today the publication of comprehensive statistics, from across the EU including Portugal, on all uses of animals in scientific, medical and veterinary research in 2022.

In Portugal, a total of 79,021 animals were used in research in 2022. The most used animals in Portugal in 2022 were mice (47,524), sea bass (6,358) and other fish (14,098) -  86% of the overall total.

The headline figures in the European Commission report show that the total number of animals used in 2022 in the EU-27 was just under 7m (6,996,249). The EU noted that there has been a decreasing trend in the use of animals in regulatory testing for medicines and other products (around half a million animals less than in 2018), and a 10% decrease in the use of rats and mice over the last five years.

In 2022, 90% of the total were mice, fish, rats and birds, whereas dogs, cats and monkeys account for around 0.23% of the total. Here are some of the biomedical breakthroughs achieved in 2022.

According to the EU statistics, the top three EU countries for animal use in 2022 were France (1,829,827 animals), followed by Germany (1,342,404 animals) and Spain (1,047,233 animals).

EARA executive director, Kirk Leech, said: “The EU statistics on animal use in 2022 are still large numbers, but they represent thousands of studies by researchers in Europe to develop vaccines and treatments for diseases, such as Covid-19 and continue the remarkable progress made to fight cancer and diabetes.”

Around three-quarters (72%) of animal use was for research, including 37% for basic research, while a further 13% was for regulatory use to satisfy legislative requirements, followed by routine production (6%).

Separate figures were also produced to record the number of animals that were bred but not used in experiments, this was 9,556,700 across the EU (very similar to when the figures were last published in  2017 9,544,227). These can either be animals that underwent no procedures themselves, such as for breeding purposes; that were the wrong gender for a particular research study; or were a unavoidable surplus from breeding. Find out more here.

Separate figures were also produced to record the number of animals used for the creation and maintenance of genetically altered animal lines. Across the EU-27 (plus Norway) this was 852,145 in 2022 (the EU reported a figure of 909,944 for 2018).

Most of the medicines we have now come from animal research. Often science does not need to use animals, but for many key questions they are crucial.

Animals are used alongside several other techniques such as cell cultures, human studies and computational models. These methods are used – often in tandem – to answer the key biological questions necessary to understand and treat disease. Before an animal model is selected, researchers must show that the knowledge could not be acquired using non-animal methods. 

EARA, is the voice of the biomedical sector on issues relating to European animal research, working across Europe to promote greater openness and transparency. Currently in the EU, there are now Transparency Agreements in Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, including universities, research facilities and pharmaceutical companies.

For further information contact EARA Communications Manager, Bob Tolliday btolliday@eara.eu on +44 (0)77 1552 5535

Notes to the editor

Animal research is strictly regulated under the EU Directive 2010/63. Every procedure, from a simple blood test to major surgery, requires individual, establishment and project licences, as well as approval from animal welfare and ethical review bodies. 

All organisations are committed to the ‘3Rs’ of replacement, reduction and refinement. This means avoiding or replacing the use of animals where possible; minimising the number of animals used per experiment and optimising the experience of the animals to improve animal welfare. However, as institutions expand and conduct more research, the total number of animals used can rise even if fewer animals are used per study.

Since 2013, it has been illegal to sell or import cosmetics anywhere in the EU where the finished product or its ingredients have been tested on animals.

Dogs can be used to test new drugs before clinical trials are conducted in humans, while monkeys are also used in drug testing and have played a significant role in research in AIDS and developing treatments for Parkinson’s disease, as well as the Covid-19 vaccine during the 2020-21 pandemic.

Like humans, monkeys have a prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain involved in cognitive behaviour. This means that monkeys can help scientists understand how the brain works and help us develop treatments for neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and OCD.

The European Commission has now launched two open access ALURES databases, available for all interested stakeholders, to facilitate identification of areas where replacement and refinement efforts are most urgently needed. In addition, a second database publishes non-technical project summaries of authorised projects that provide further understanding of why and how animals are still needed in research and testing.