Public reporting of laboratory animal use statistics and welfare outcomes is essential for accountability, enabling evidence-based policy and supporting public trust in research oversight.
Transparency in laboratory animal use is both an ethical obligation and a practical tool for welfare improvement. When institutions publicly report not just the number of animals used but the welfare severity of procedures, patterns of unnecessary severity become visible and addressable. Countries with strong reporting requirements have driven industry-wide welfare improvements as institutions seek to demonstrate improving trends. The absence of transparency — particularly in the United States where mice, rats, and birds fall outside mandatory statistics — means the true scale of laboratory animal use and suffering cannot be accurately assessed or effectively addressed. Expanding reporting requirements is a foundational welfare reform.