Almost 900 cats and dogs were subjected to medical and scientific research procedures in Ireland during 2007, an increase of more than 400 in one year, the Sunday Tribune has learned.

The as yet unpublished figures obtained from the Department of Health show it issued licences to companies and universities to undertake research on 421 cats and 477 dogs that year.

This is more than twice the number of cats used in 2006, while 180 more dogs were also used.

The figures have prompted animal-welfare activists to express concern that animals are being "bred to die" here.

They claim there is little or no independently verified information about what happens to the animals once the tests have been completed and suspect many of them are either reused in other more harmful experiments, or simply destroyed.

According to the statistics, there was an overall decrease of 9,400 in the number of animals used for research purposes in 2007, when compared with a year earlier.

However, this is largely accounted for by a decrease of over 15,000 to 20,519 in the number of fish used, and a decrease of more than 2,500 to 2,152 in the number of cattle used.

By comparison, the number of mice used climbed by almost 5,000 to 26,111, the number of rats increased by 2,400 and the number of birds increased by almost 1,000.

Elsewhere, the figures reveal 43 rabbits, 153 horses and donkeys, 190 pigs and 370 sheep were used in 2007.

Under current regulations, private companies or colleges which wish to conduct research using animals must apply to the Department of Health for a licence to do so.

The new figures reflect the number of occasions on which they made such applications in 2007.

Yvonne Smalley, spokeswoman for the Irish Anti-Vivisection Society (IAVS), which obtained the figures, said all of the cats and dogs came from "registered breeding or supplying establishments" within Ireland. Just under 190 were classified as "reused" animals.

"The IAVS is extremely concerned to learn that there are now nine commercial establishments licensed to carry out animal experiments in Ireland. This number has increased from three in 2006," she said.

"Using cats and dogs in laboratories to safety-test commercial products does not represent the latest in scientific endeavour."

She said the organisation had established that the private Charles River laboratory in Mayo breeds its own animals for research purposes.

"It is unethical for commercial companies to be licensed to conduct experiments on animals in pursuit of profits.

"Furthermore, commercial protection allows these companies to conduct animal experiments in secret."

A spokeswoman for Charles River declined to respond when asked whether its laboratory in Ireland breeds animals specifically for research purposes.