Irish universities have spent hundreds of thousands of euro funding invasive animal experiments conducted abroad, experiments that fall outside the purview of Ireland’s regulatory oversight. These experiments, carried out in unspecified foreign locations, are completely uninspected and uncounted by the Irish regulator due to jurisdictional limitations. This lack of transparency raises significant ethical concerns regarding animal welfare and the accountability of Irish institutions. Because the experiments occur outside of Ireland, there is no mechanism for the Irish authorities to ensure compliance with Irish animal welfare standards, or even to ascertain the nature of the research being funded. Critics argue this practice effectively exports ethical responsibility and shields potentially problematic research from scrutiny. The funding highlights a gap in regulation and a need for greater transparency in how Irish universities oversee research partnerships abroad. This situation prompts questions about the extent of animal experimentation linked to Ireland and the effectiveness of existing controls.