Over 50,000 animals were subjected to tests in the Brussels Capital Region in 2022, according to data released by Brussels Environment.
The animal testing suppression association (SEA) disclosed that an additional 133,693 animals bred for scientific procedures but were also killed or died ‘unused'.
Of these 133,693 animals, 95.15% were mice, 4.06% were zebrafish, 0.79% were rats, and a negligible number were guinea pigs, the SEA report stated.
No non-human primates, carnivores, lagomorphs, equids, reptiles, amphibians or cephalopods were used for testing in 2022, assured Brussels Environment.
Predominantly, the tests were carried out for fundamental research and for various product developments to verify regulatory use such as determining toxicity and other safety usage.
“Severe suffering” tests, causing severe distress and potentially resulting in death were conducted on 10,314 animals in 2022, including 9,652 mice.
SEA criticised the waste of animal lives and the inflicted suffering in Brussels’ laboratories.
“Regular, unannounced checks in all animal experimentation laboratories would verify law compliance. Proper penalties should be applied in case of law breach, and not mere administrative sanctions,” SEA says.
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