Animal testing in Flanders falls to lowest level in a decade
The number of animal tests in Flanders fell sharply in 2024, reaching its lowest level in at least 10 years. A total of 211,386 tests were recorded, almost 30,000 fewer than in 2023, a drop of 12 per cent.
Flemish Animal Welfare minister Ben Weyts said the fall was the result of long-term policies aimed at reducing animal testing. He said Flanders was leading the way in Europe by promoting alternatives wherever possible and developing new methods when none exist. These are shared with scientists through the RE-Place platform.
From this year, the rules will become even stricter. Limits will be placed on the use of rhesus monkeys, and breeders and suppliers of laboratory animals will have to pay a fee for official recognition. The money will go to the Flemish Animal Welfare Fund, which supports research into alternatives to animal testing.
The downward trend has been going on for years. In 2014, more than 280,000 animal tests were carried out.
In 2024, mice made up six in 10 test animals, while chickens accounted for two in 10. Almost half of the experiments were classed as mild, and about a third as moderate. Severe tests made up 14.5 per cent of the total, a smaller share than before.
Terminal procedures, where animals are put under anaesthetic and do not wake up, have nearly halved over five years, falling to 3,648 cases.
More than 90 per cent of all tests were for basic or applied research into diseases such as cancer, heart conditions and infectious illnesses.
#FlandersNewsService | © AFP PHOTO/UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER/J.ADAM FENSTER
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