BAN ON EXPERIMENTATION ON PRIMATES COMES A STEP CLOSER
September 6, 2007 4:00 PM
Today LibDem MEP Liz Lynne has welcomed the fact that a European parliamentary Written Declaration to outlaw primate research has achieved the required number of signatures to warrant a debate in the Parliament.
Speaking today from Strasbourg, Liz Lynne said:
"This is excellent news. It is so important that humans stop scientific experiments on primates. Not only are many primates endangered species, but considering we share up to 98% of the same DNA, it is abhorrent that we find it acceptable to subject these poor animals to such testing."
"Although alternative methods of research now exist, almost 10,000 tests on primates occur every year across the EU, with the UK being one of the worst offenders. We should be protecting our endangered relatives, not experimenting on them!"
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
A Written Declaration, if signed by over half of MEPs, leads to a debate within the European Parliament. The declaration lapses tomorrow, but as of today has 416 of a possible 785 signatories.
Written declaration on primates in scientific experiments
The European Parliament,
- having regard to Rule 116 of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas more than 80% of respondents to the 2006 Commission's public consultation on animals in experiments considered the use of primates in experiments as not acceptable,
B. whereas more than 10 000 primates are used in experiments every year in EU laboratories,
C. noting that almost all primate species share more than 90% of their DNA with humans and it is acknowledged that the primate species have a capacity to suffer greatly in captivity,
D. whereas 26% of primate species are in danger of extinction and wild-caught primates continue to be used in laboratories, in addition it may be difficult to protect primates from threats such as human consumption if it is perceived that these species are used freely by Western academic institutions,
E. whereas advanced technology and techniques now provide alternative methods that are proving to be more efficient and reliable than primate experiments, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), microdosing, computer modelling or tissue and cell culture,
F. noting that despite genetic similarities, there are important differences between humans and other primates, and primate experiments cannot match the precision of human-based study,
1. Urges the Commission, the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament to use the revision process of Directive 86/609/EC as an opportunity to:
(a) make ending the use of apes and wild-caught monkeys in scientific experiments an urgent priority,
(b) establish a timetable for replacing the use of all primates in scientific experiments with alternatives;
2. Instructs its President to forward this declaration, together with the names of the signatories, to the Council, the Commission and the Member States.
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