National Antivisection Society
European Parliament sets historic target to end experiments on primates
Posted: 6 December 2007
Adoption of Declaration may be single most important breakthrough in over a decade.
In September, 433 MEPs signed Written Declaration 40/2007 calling for urgent action to end the use of Great Apes and wild-caught monkeys in experiments and for a timetable to be set to end all experiments on nonhuman primates in Europe.
Your postcards, letters, emails and donations enabled us to lobby relentlessly in Brussels and Strasbourg. Together, we did it!
The Declaration, drafted by ADI, was adopted at the Parliament’s Plenary session, and now the European Commission will produce an action plan.
This move has the backing of every political group and MEPs from every country in Europe. It sends a powerful message to the European Commission, which is currently reviewing rules for animal experiments across Europe.
The Declaration recognises that nonhuman primates are our closest relatives, with chimpanzees sharing over 98% of our DNA. Like us, they have forms of language and culture and live in family groups. Primates suffer terribly in laboratories and urgent action is required to bring their suffering to an end. We trust that this vote will immediately end plans for a centralised chimpanzee laboratory in Europe.
Over 10,000 nonhuman primates are used in experiments in Europe every year, with the UK being Europe’s largest user, followed by France and Germany.
In order for the Declaration to become European Parliament policy, we needed to secure the signatures of half the 786 MEPs. We therefore mobilised campaigners across Europe, distributed copies of a special DVD and scientific briefings in all the EU languages, and organised meetings and events in Strasbourg and Brussels. Importantly, the backing of the political heavyweights in all the main political groups was secured – Conservatives, Socialists, Greens, and Liberals.
Written Declaration 40/2007 was launched on April 24 2007, World Lab Animal Day, sponsored by a group of respected and visionary MEPs: John Bowis (UK), Martine Roure (France), Jens Holm (Sweden), Rebecca Harms (Germany) and Mojca Drčar Murko (Slovenia).
It 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;
It instructs its President to forward this declaration, together with the names of the signatories, to the Council, the Commission and the Member States.
A lighter touch was introduced to this serious campaign with packets of ‘Primints’, chimp door hangers, and ‘gorillagrams’. Securing the signatures of 393 extremely busy MEPs within the 3-month deadline is an enormous undertaking. Each MEP has to be spoken to, emailed and faxed. Our London office was the hub of the electronic campaign. Our supporters provided the strength of public feeling on the issue, and our partner organisations mobilised their key campaigners.
On the final days the MEPs were rushing to sign before the deadline, even though the minimum number had already been achieved! This resulted in a massive 433 signatures, making it the most supported Written Declaration on an animal protection issue ever and the third highest number of signatures on any Declaration since 2000.
The Declaration marks just the start of a major campaign to eradicate primate experiments, but a course is now signposted. We will be ensuring that the route is followed and have already begun work on the next phase of this campaign.
We thought readers would enjoy this summary of the campaign:
The road to victory
September 2006: Launch of Written Declaration 64/2006 in the European Parliament for International Primate Day 2006, calling for a ban on primates in experiments within six years.
January 2007: Written Declaration 64/2006 lapses with 88 signatures. ADI/NAVS prepare a new declaration informed by dialogue with MEPs during the campaign for WD64 that will build on the support gained.
April 2007: Written Declaration 40 is launched on 24 April for World Lab Animal Day, with support from 41 MEPs. Several European groups join the campaign. Goodie bags are distributed to MEPs. A reception and photocall are organised in Strasbourg and postcards sent to supporters for them to write to MEPs.
May 2007: The ADI team is back in Strasbourg to distribute leaflets to MEPs. Tim Philips, Campaigns Director, addresses the Intergroup for Animal Welfare, chaired by Neil Parish, MEP. Letter writing, emailing and faxing are underway. Signatures rise.
June 2007: Door-to-door campaign in Brussels with a ‘gorillagram’ urging MEPs to support their primate cousins. ADI/NAVS supporters’ letters and postcards start flooding MEPs’ desks, and sister groups are taking up the campaign. We produce postcards in French with Ligue Française Contre la Vivisection. In Strasbourg we visit more MEPs and distribute our Primate Nations report, translated in all major EU languages: 178 MEPs have now signed.
July 2007: We publish our detailed response to the primate research policy document of the EU’s Scientific Steering Committee, countering with scientific facts translated into five languages. WD40 mints also prove popular and are seen all over the Parliament! We continue to meet MEPs, and our exhibition stand at the heart of the Parliament screens our film My Mate’s a Primate. We follow the MEPs back to Brussels – more meetings, more leafletting. The number of signatures jumps to 296!
September 2007: Chimp door hangers with a “sorry to disturb...but please sign...” message in eight languages remind all those MEPs who have yet to sign that time is running out. We distribute a letter from John Bowis, MEP, and new WD40 DVD. Our stand, screening the new DVD, attracts more interest. The fax in Millbank Tower doesn’t stop. On Wednesday 5th September we hit the critical 393 signatures. Chief Executive Jan Creamer announces the historic victory to MEPs at the meeting of the Intergroup for Animal Welfare. Adoption of the Declaration is officially declared in Plenary by the President of the European Parliament on Thursday 6th September, and Declaration 40 closes on the same day, with 433 signatures.
Next Steps
We have the backing of one institution, now we need to secure the backing of the European Commission and Council of Ministers. We need YOUR help!
How you can help
Press the Council of Ministers to support rapid implementation of WD40. The UK Council representatives are:
Write to:
Ms. Jacqui Smith, MP
Secretary of State for the Home Department
House of Commons
London, SW1A 0AA
United Kingdom
and to:
Mr. John Grant, CMG
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of the UK
Avenue d’Auderghem 10
B-1040 Bruxelles
Belgium
Urge the European Commission to implement WD40 in the revision process of EC Directive 86/609:
Write to:
Mr. Stavros Dimas
Commissioner for Environment
European Commission
B1049 Brussels
Belgium
Need help? Draft letters are available from ADI +44 (0)20 7630 3340 or on the website.
Are you outside the UK? Call ADI for details of addresses for European Council of Ministers representatives for other European countries at +44 (0)20 7630 3340 or click here.
Please send a donation:
A huge debt is owed to those who have contributed financially to this campaign. Costs included multiple translations, printing scientific reports and leaflets, producing DVDs, getting the campaign team (both ours and other groups’ reps) to Brussels and Strasbourg. Keep this campaign moving forward, please donate today.
Distribute our new campaign leaflet:
Order leaflets for distribution from our London office. It is vital that we engage the public in this important campaign.
Thank You
This victory was possible thanks to a united effort by campaigners and MEPs. Special thanks to the MEPs with the vision to sponsor Written Declaration 40/2007: Jens Holm (Sweden), John Bowis (UK), Martine Roure (France), Rebecca Harms (Germany) and Mojca Drčar Murko (Slovenia).
Written Declaration 64/2006 built the foundations and was sponsored by UK MEPs David Martin, Robert Evans and Sajjad Karim; Portuguese MEP Paulo Casaca; and Swedish MEP Carl Schlyter. Active support came from MEPs Dr. Caroline Lucas, Liz Lynne, Neil Parish, Roberto Musacchio, Mary-Lou McDonald, Struan Stevenson, Chris Davies, Sharon Bowles, Dr. Charles Tannock, James Nicholson, Mike Nattrass, Ian Hudghton, Jonathan Evans, Jill Evans, Richard Corbett and Glyn Ford.
Our thanks also to UK MPs, Colin Challen, Norman Baker, Mike Hancock, David Lepper and David Drew.
We worked closely with Eurogroup for Animals, and the following animal protection groups came running when the primates needed them: Animal Aid ; Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN); Antidote; Asociación Nacional para la Defensa de los Animales (ANDA); Destination Enfer; Djurens Rätt; Fundacion FAADA; Greek Animal Welfare Fund; International Animal Rescue Malta; Irish Anti-Vivisection Society; Lega Anti Vivisezione; Ligue Française Contre la Vivisection; People Against Chimpanzee Experiments (PACE); PETA Europe; Pro-Anima; Refuge de Thiernay; Wilde Dieren de Tent Uit.
This is the text of Written Declaration 40/2007:
Pursuant to Rule 116 of the Rules of Procedure by Jens Holm, Rebecca Harms, John Bowis, Martine Roure and Mojca Drčar Murko
0040/2007 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.
How Europe signed up for primates
MEP comments
John Bowis MEP, former Health Minister: “I believe, as many scientists, parliamentarians and members of the public, experiments on primates are both unethical and inefficient and can and should be replaced with more advanced scientific techniques”.
Jens Holm, Swedish MEP: “It is time to end experiments on primates. Primates are sentient beings and capable of feelings like humans: joy, happiness or anger. Their interests must be fully taken into account, and cruelty against them must stop”.
Neil Parish, MEP and President of the European Parliament’s animal welfare Intergroup: “This declaration has been signed by over 430 members of the European Parliament of all parties and all countries. It sends a clear message to the Commission that animal experimentation should be phased out. This is a very good week for animals”.
Mojca Drčar Murko, Slovenian MEP: “Advanced alternatives to primate experiments in medical research already exist, and it is high time we conveyed our compassion to our species cousins".
Dr. Caroline Lucas, UK MEP: “The EU is reviewing its rules of lab animals, and we must use this opportunity to immediately ban the use of primates in experiments in the EU in favour of more modern and effective alternatives, like computer modelling, tissue or cell cultures and micro-dosing”.
Liz Lynne, UK MEP: “A move away from experiments on primates is an important humane step”.
Sharon Bowles, UK MEP: “It is unsurprising that 90% of the British public would like to see more funding allocated to nonanimal alternatives for testing. Many alternatives do exist, but their use and further development requires investment and a commitment to innovation.”
Paulo Casaca, Portuguese MEP: “This is a step forward not only for the animals but also for the competitiveness of our high-tech industry, for science, and for the humans”.
Scientific report says it is time to stop primate experiments – click here for more information.
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