[comment caption=Should the Government move to prohibit animal experiments which cause 'severe suffering'?]Nearly a quarter of a million animals were used for experiments last year and thousands suffered severe pain, the Green Party said today citing the latest report from the National Animal Ethics Advisory Committee.
Animal welfare spokeswoman Sue Kedgley said it made grim reading.
"The report shows that almost 250,000 animals were subjected to experimentation - 16,608 of those experienced very severe suffering and a further 3217 suffered severe suffering," she said.
"National animal experimentation guidelines say that animals experience pain in a manner similar to humans.
"One can only imagine the sort of pain and suffering 16,000 animals were forced to endure last year."
Ms Kedgley said the European Union prohibited experiments on animals which caused severe pain, distress and suffering.
"Why on earth is there not a similar prohibition here?" she asked.
She said a large number of the experiments were carried out by government-funded organisations and the Green Party wanted the committee to explain how the suffering was justified.
The National Anti Vivisection Campaign said the situation was deteriorating.
"Every time they release the vivisection statistics they claim they are committed to reducing the cruelty but things just get worse and worse," said campaign spokesman Mark Eden.
"The Government keeps saying we have the strictest animal research regulations in the world but it's simply not true."
