New USDA public data format difficult to analyze
February 24, 2023, for immediate release
Sacramento, CA
Cruelty Free International, the leading organization working to end animal testing around the world, is calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to reduce the suffering of animals in laboratories and increase its transparency to the public after a 6% increase in the number of animals used in experiments was revealed in its newly-reformatted statistics for 2021.
According to our analysis, the statistics showed that a total of 712,683 animals were used in experiments – including 71,921 monkeys, 44,847 dogs and 12,595 cats.
However, USDA figures do not include mice, rats, fish or birds – the animals most commonly used in experiments. As a result, Cruelty Free International estimate the true number of animals used in experiments in the U.S. every year to be at least 14 million.
These 2021 figures are the first to be provided to the public in a new format. Cruelty Free International has asked the USDA to explain its change to a more opaque system[1] which makes comparisons with past years, or between different pain categories and across different states, very difficult. The USDA is yet to provide an explanation, despite repeated requests.
In 2021, Category E experiments, in which no relief is provided for animals experiencing pain or distress, involved 70,161 animals – 10% of the total tested on in the U.S. The most frequent victims of these painful experiments are hamsters and guinea pigs, but in 2021, 2,583 rabbits, 1,621 monkeys and 360 dogs were also subjected to Category E tests.
Monica Engebretson, Head of Public Affairs North America for Cruelty Free International, said, "We are appalled by the unacceptable number of animals suffering in U.S. laboratories and by the USDA’s lack of transparency in what appears to be a growing lack of accountability to the public and the animals.
“We accept that some of this increase in experiments could be due to a return to previous levels of activity following the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, but we had still hoped to see an overall decrease in the number of animals used, when public demand for humane science, and the development of non-animal testing methods, are both increasing.
“Far more needs to be done to end the cruel use of animals in research and testing. This further illustrates the urgent need for legislation like the HEARTS Act[2] that will prioritize the use and development of non-animal testing methods and increase accountability for animals used in tax-payer funded research
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For further information and to request interviews, please contact Steve Gibbs on +44 (0)7850 510955 or email steve.gibbs@crueltyfreeinternational.org.
Notes to Editors:
[1] The new format for animal testing statistics can be viewed here; the old format is here.
[2] The HEARTS (Humane and Existing Alternatives in Research and Testing Sciences) Act, H.R.1024 reintroduced by Congressmembers Chris Pappas (NH-1) and Ken Calvert (CA-42) on February 14, 2023, prioritizes the use and development of humane, and effective alternatives to animals in experiments funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Act directs the NIH to provide incentives to researchers to use non-animal methods whenever feasible and applicable, and establishes a dedicated center within the NIH devoted to advancing new alternative methods and developing a plan for reducing the use of animals in federal funded research.
Cruelty Free International is one of the world’s longest standing and most respected animal protection organizations. The organization is widely regarded as an authority on animal testing issues and is frequently called upon by governments, media, corporations and official bodies for its advice or expert opinion. www.crueltyfreeinternational.org.