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European Union : MEP's starting to back a ban on primate experiments
July 2007European politicians are backing a campaign to end scientific experiments on monkeys across the EU.
Conservative MEP John Bowis is sponsoring a cross-party Written Declaration on primates in experiments, which has been signed by 178 MEPs from all over Europe including Conservative MEPs representing every region across the UK.
More than 10,000 primates are used in experiments every year in EU laboratories, including around 1,000 monkeys snatched terrified from the wild. Almost all species share more than 90 per cent of their DNA with humans and can suffer greatly in captivity.
Mr Bowis, health spokesman for the Conservatives in the European Parliament and a former Health Minister, said: "More than a quarter of primate species are in danger of extinction, yet wild-caught primates continue to be captured and taken from their natural habitat to be used for research in EU laboratories.
"Advancements in technology has provided alternative 'test' methods that are proving to be more efficient and reliable than primate experiments and ending the use of monkeys and apes in scientific trials must now be a priority."
Eight in every 10 respondents to the Commission's public consultation on animals in experiments last year said the use of primates was not acceptable.
Animals Defenders International (ADI) has long campaigned for a European ban and charity representatives will be lobbying MEPs to support their call for urgent action at the European Parliament in Strasbourg next week.
Jan Creamer, chief executive of ADI, said: "This Written Declaration represents a remarkable opportunity for the European Parliament to commit to real progress to end experiments on primates. We are especially pleased that the Declaration is drawing together support from MEPs of all political persuasions of all countries across Europe.
It is known that primates suffer terribly in the confinement of the laboratory, that results from monkeys cannot be extrapolated to people with real precision and that modern techniques enabling human based research are the way forward.
"Apes and monkeys are our closest relatives in the animal kingdom.
Their suffering when captured from the wild, imprisoned in holding cages, taken from their families, shipped across the world and used in experiments in European laboratories is indefensible. Scientists, conservationists and parliamentarians agree - it is time to end the use of Great Apes and wild-caught primates in laboratories and set a timetable for an end to the use of our biological cousins in all research."
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