PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
USE OF PRIMATES IN EXPERIMENTS (23 November 2006)

That this House welcomes the current revision process of Directive 86/609 on the use of animals in experiments launched by the European Commission; notes that more than 10,000 non-human primates are used every year in European laboratories; highlights that the use of non-human primates is an unreliable predictor of likely human effects and that a wide range of safer alternatives are available such as Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, microdosing, computer modelling or tissue and cell culture; underlines that the replacement of animal testing by advanced techniques is in line with the Lisbon Strategy, as it opens markets for the European high-tech industry and boosts its competitiveness; therefore urges the EU institutions as well as the member states to pay special attention to the issue of the use of non-human primates in experiments in the revision process of Directive 86/609; expresses its deep concern that the United Kingdom is Europe's largest user of laboratory monkeys; and urges the Government to support a phase-out of all non-human primate experiments in the EU over the next six years in the Council of Ministers.

Sponsored by:
Colin Challen (Labour)