My Mate's A Primate

8.50.01am UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 16th Jan 2007

Sharon Bowles Liberal Democrat MEP for the South East is today calling on her fellow MEPs to back a landmark appeal to end the use of chimpanzees and monkeys in experiments across the European Union. The call comes at a point when only 59 MEPs have signed a declaration before the European Parliament to end primate research across the EU in the next six years. In order for it to be adopted and sent to the European Commission a further 394 signatures will be needed before the deadline runs out on Thursday (18th January).

The landmark declaration asks the Commission to propose an end to all non-human primate experiments when European laws on the use of animals in scientific procedures are revised.

Sharon Bowles, who signed the written declaration at the earliest opportunity said, "It is unsurprising that 90% of the compassionate British public would like to see more funding allocated to non-animal alternatives for testing. Many alternatives do exist, but their use and further development requires investment and a commitment to innovation. This investment is increasingly repaid with the relevant, accurate and specific data which animal models have failed to provide."

"I urge my fellow MEPs to sign up to this declaration that seeks to prohibit chimpanzee experiments and the use of wild-caught primates in the EU as soon as possible" said Sharon.

Campaigners believe the time is right for an action plan on primate experiments, which evoke considerable public concern, because rules for animal experimentation throughout the EU are currently under review (revision of Directive 86/609).

A new report, called 'Primate Nations' has highlighted the suffering of Europe's 10,000 laboratory primates and describes how these tests can be replaced with advanced techniques based upon human data.

Dr Michael Coleman, Senior Lecturer in Toxicology of Department of Pharmacy, Aston University commented: "As well as the ethical considerations, scientifically, primates are simply not close enough to us to act as good experimental models and we should be promoting replacement of animal work with human cellular systems. We must leave behind the intellectual laziness of relying on animal models and invest in human-cellular based alternatives for the future."

Jan Creamer, ADI chief executive, said: "We don't need to destroy primates in laboratories. Our report highlights the similarities but also the key biological differences which make primate research unreliable, such as the TGN1412 experimental drug trial which caused serious damage to human volunteers such as head swelling, after it had been given to monkeys with no side effects".

ENDS

NOTES:

The USA is the largest user of laboratory primates in the world. The UK is the largest user of laboratory monkeys in the EU with primate test up in 2005. Three countries, the UK, France and Germany are responsible for almost all of the 10,000 experiments on monkeys in the EU

The Spanish monkey dealer exposed by ADI is importing macaque monkeys from Mauritius. It will have an estimated capacity for 3,000 macaque - almost half of the EU's annual macaque use (75-80% of all laboratory monkeys used in the EU are macaques).

A copy of the written declaration can be found at:-

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/activities/expert/writtenDecl/wdFastOngoing.do?language=EN&startValue=30#

A copy of Primate's Nation can be found at:-

http://www.ad-international.org/mmap/go.php?ssi=64