Declining numbers of laboratory animals in Germany: Investigating the reasons
What it's about:
The number of animals used or killed for scientific purposes in Germany fell for the fifth consecutive year between 2020 and 2024, dropping below 2 million for the first time. The German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), which is part of the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment), has analysed whether this significant decline can be attributed to specific causes. To this end, the Bf3R examined a ten-year period from 2015 to 2024. “The cause of the decline in the number of laboratory animals is very likely multifactorial and cannot be explained solely by a shift in research abroad or by excessive bureaucracy,” says BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment President Professor Andreas Hensel. “The data also show changing priorities in research funding and possible successes in the use of alternative methods.”
Link to Science Report
External Link:https://www.bfr.bund.de/en/science-report/sinkende-versuchstierzahlen-in-deutschland/
The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment has used various conceptual approaches to investigate in greater depth the reasons for the decline and, in doing so, the potential implications for basic life sciences research as well as translational and applied research.
The decline in the number of laboratory animals in Germany over the past ten years is statistically significant and is particularly evident in the domain of regulatory animal experiments, but also in translational and applied research. The cause of the reduction in the number of laboratory animals cannot be attributed to a single factor, but has a very high probability of being due to a combination of factors.
Federal expenditure on core funding for universities and on project grants in the domain of health research and the health sector has, particularly over the last three to four years, not risen to the same extent as in other domains (e.g. information and communication technologies or defence research) and has in some cases even declined. Nor has the number of DFG-funded projects in the domain of basic life sciences research grown in line with the overall funding volume. Reduced financial support in the life sciences may have an impact on biomedical research involving animal experimentation and thus contribute to a reduction in the number of laboratory animals.
Over the last ten years, there has been a trend in Germany towards the increased use of in vitro methods in the two research fields of neuroscience and immunology – which account for the majority of laboratory animals used – whilst animal-based research has declined slightly. This could be a sign that alternative methods are being used more widely in Germany, contributing to a decline in animal experiments. However, this trend is not evident in the field of oncology.
The shift of animal experiments abroad could also be contributing to the decline in the number of laboratory animals. This is demonstrated by an analysis of publications from Germany describing experiments involving rats. Here, a slow but significant increase in the proportion of experiments carried out outside Germany has been observed over the last ten years. However, it would need to be investigated whether this trend is continuing and can also be observed in other samples.
The frequently cited argument that animal experiments in Germany are heavily regulated and that long processing times mean fewer and fewer animal experiments can be carried out cannot be either confirmed or refuted. Analysis of animal experimentation projects authorised in Germany shows that, whilst the number of authorised projects has fallen in recent years, the number of authorised laboratory animals has declined only slightly, if at all, and remains well above the numbers of laboratory animals reported.
Not only in Germany, but also in other EU countries, a decline in the number of laboratory animals has been observed over the last ten years.[1] This decline is generally to be welcomed, as it shows that the European Commission’s efforts to limit animal experiments to what is strictly necessary are bearing fruit. However, the reasons for the Europe-wide reduction vary greatly; they are likely to be country-specific and, given the complexity of the issue, very difficult to determine.
About the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment
The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment) is a scientifically independent institution within the portfolio of the German Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity (BMLEH). It protects people's health preventively in the fields of public health and veterinary public health. The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment provides advice to the Federal Government as well as the Federal States (‘Laender’) on questions related to food, feed, chemical and product safety. The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment conducts its own research on topics closely related to its assessment tasks.
About the Bf3R
The German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R) was founded in 2015 and is an integral part of the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment). It co-ordinates nationwide activities with the goals of restricting animal experiments to only those which are considered essential, and safeguarding the best possible protection for laboratory animals. Moreover, it intends to stimulate research activities and encourage scientific dialogue.