The 572,069 animals used for experimentation represented a 2.5% decrease on the previous year, with fewer mice and fish being used in particular, the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office said in a statement.

Last year 3,265 animal experiment permits were valid. This represents a decrease of 6.2% on 2018.

The office said 69.2% of the animals were used in non-invasive or less invasive experiments. A steady decrease has been observed here since 2015.

Since 2012, however, the proportion of experiments involving moderate or severe distress for the animals has increased. Last year 27.6% of the animals were exposed to moderate stress and 3.2% to severe stress.

The office also noted an increasing use since 2012 of genetically modified mice exposed to medium and heavy stress.