
Figures on animal testing
The number of animal experiments has fluctuated since the Wod was amended in 2014.
here was a large increase in the number of fish used in experiments between 2014 and 2015, as fish used to monitor fish stocks in the North Sea did not fall under the Wod prior to 2015.
Annual fluctuations in the number of animal experiments were mainly seen for pigs, chickens and fish and, to a lesser extent, mice. This is due to large, long-term research projects that took place into the health and welfare of pigs and poultry, into more sustainable fish farming, and into the role of mice in the transmission of Lyme and other diseases.
Education
Wageningen graduates may be required to conduct animal experiments as part of their work. WUR therefore believes it has a duty to teach students about responsible animal testing and the ethical aspects associated with the use of test animals.
Any students who are opposed to animal experiments on ethical grounds or who do not wish to use materials taken from animals during practical sessions may choose to follow a dissection-free variant of the compulsory classes. This is not however possible for subjects in the specialisation phase of the programme, although students may choose subjects in which they do not have to carry out animal experiments.
Which animals fall under the Wod?
Adoption
The ‘rehoming’ of test animals is permitted under certain conditions. WUR follows the Code of Practice drawn up by the Netherlands National Committee for the protection of animals used for scientific purposes for the rehoming of test animals.
Cats that are kept at WUR are ‘retired’ after seven years and put up for adoption. Using a detailed questionnaire, the right cat is coupled to the right owner. The cats that are housed at WUR are mainly used for behaviour and food research. They receive a lot of attention from students and carers and are therefore well-socialised and suitable for adoption. No cats found new homes in this way in 2019., in 2018 there were eight cats that did.
Wageningen Research (WR)
Most of the animal experiments carried out at WR in 2019 were used in research into the protection of animal species (63%), primarily the monitoring of fish stocks. This was followed by applied and translational research (30%), primarily into animal welfare and animal health. After this came statutory testing (6%), mainly into Batch Potency Testing and Bioaccumulation.

Wageningen University (WU)

Animal species
Almost two thirds of the animal experiments carried out at WUR are on fish (63.8%). These experiments are mostly for statutory fish stock monitoring, within the research theme ‘protection of animal species’. This is followed by chickens (22.3%) and mice (4.8%). Chickens and pigs are mostly used for research into animal welfare. Mice are mostly used for the statutory testing of animal vaccines.
Not all of the animals used in animal experiments are housed in WUR facilities. For example, research for the conservation or monitoring of populations in the wild is carried out using wild animals. Some animal experiments are also carried out on experimental farms, for example on chickens.
Click on the image to enlarge it.
Level of suffering at WUR
The tables show the level of suffering experienced by test animals at WUR in 2018. The expected level of suffering is assessed as part of the project plan, and again when the project has been completed. The table shows the actual levels of suffering. Various factors are taken into account to determine this, such as the pain and fear that a particular procedure causes, or lasting harm to the animal. Animal suffering is assessed cumulatively. For example, different processes may be carried out within a procedure that each cause ‘light suffering’. However, the total amount of suffering during the entire procedure may be categorised as ‘moderate suffering’.
Terminal assessed animal experiments
Light suffering
Moderate suffering
Severe suffering
Most of the animal experiments at WUR are categorised as causing mild suffering. The number of animal experiments assessed as causing mild suffering have increased at WR in 2019.
The number of animal experiments assessed as causing increased in the last three years. The number of experiments classified as terminal decreased from over 12% to 0% in the last three years at WU. No animal experiments were carried out at WU in 2019 that cause severe suffering, although this was not the case at WR.
Relatively more experiments that cause moderate suffering are carried out at WR. One reason for this difference is the nature of the experiments that are carried out at WR. These include experiments for research into animal disease, which in some cases require animals to be infected with the disease in order to study it.
Click on the image to enlarge it.