BUAV: Monkey factory-farms feed UK demand
New Body Shop Foundation funded undercover investigation shows grim reality of global lab monkey trade
Monkeys are being factory-farmed on an industrial scale to feed the escalating demand for live experiment fodder in the UK, Europe and the US, a 12 month undercover BUAV investigation can reveal.
Our footage shows the farm – which supplies the notorious Huntingdon Life Sciences in the UK – is failing minimum international guidelines it is required to meet as a UK Government approved supplier.
Evidence collected by the BUAV’s deep-undercover investigator over 12 months at the world’s largest monkey breeding farm in Vietnam reveals monkeys are kept in appalling conditions that break the vital international guidelines put there to protect these sensitive animals.
These protected wild animals are being forced into tiny, rusted, dangerous cages to breed, only to have their young snatched away from them as early as five months.
The frightened young monkeys then begin their journey to the next stage of their lifetime of suffering – UK, European and US labs.
Commenting on the shocking images filmed by our undercover investigator the internationally renowned independent primatologist Stephen Brend said: ‘The very scale of the operation gives cause for alarm. The whole feel is of an intensive ‘farm’ which, as with battery chicken farming, is designed with the quantity of output given priority over quality and welfare.’
Jan Buckingham, Trustee, The Body Shop Foundation said: “At the heart of The Body Shop Foundation lies an ambition to support cutting edge investigations like the one the BUAV is launching today, which so often struggle to secure funding from traditional sources.
‘It is a brave and compassionate expose which we hope will ultimately help bring an end to the inhumane conditions in which these primates suffer. Like all animals macaque monkeys are intelligent beings and should be protected from inhumane treatment.
We are proud to support the BUAV, a long-term partner, in the campaign they are launching today.”
BUAV Campaigns Director Alistair Currie said: ‘Life on the breeding farm is just the start of a lifetime of fear, pain and suffering for these intelligent and sensitive animals.
We want to see Home Office approval of this supplier revoked immediately but that wouldn’t deal with the root cause – the demand that’s led to this kind of factory-farming.
‘The rules in Europe are being reviewed right now so the UK Government has an historic opportunity to get all monkeys out of factory farms and labs by lobbying in the European Union for a ban on all use of monkeys in experiments in Europe.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITOR
See www.buav.org/monkey business
Footage and stills of the BUAV investigation are available in multiple formats from the BUAV Press Office. They were filmed at a farm owned by a joint Vietnamese and Hong King owned company – Nafovanny in Long Thanh, Vietnam.
The Home Office stipulates that “Overseas breeders who wish to supply animals for use in the United Kingdom are expected to comply with the guidelines issued by the International Primatological Society.”
IPS Guidelines state: “Primates need a complex and stimulating environment.”
The Nafovanny brochure claims: “The farm design is targeted to be home-like for her residents..What a beautiful scene it is!”
The BUAV investigation reveals: “Decrepit cages with very little attempt at enrichment”
IPS Guidelines state: “Primate caging or housing systems should be designed carefully..taking into account the physical, psychological needs of captive primates.”
The Nafovanny brochure claims: “To accommodate the animals to live in a setting as close to nature as possible..”
The BUAV investigation reveals: “Cages that are old with rusted or broken metal work which can cause potential harm to primates.”
IPS Guidelines state: “The young monkey should not be separated from its mother at an early age.but should remain in contact for one year to 18 months [to avoid developing] abnormal behaviour.”
The BUAV investigation reveals: “Forced weaning must be occurring here and, it seems, when it occurs, the weaned infants are returned to the ‘clinic’ cages [which] are awful. Small, low to the ground, and barren.”
The current review of EU directive 86/609 offers an opportunity to get a total ban of primate use throughout Europe. 150 UK MPs have signed an EDM calling for a ban.
Previous BUAV undercover investigations in Britain and Europe (Huntingdon Life Sciences and Cambridge University in the UK and Covance in Germany) have revealed the unacceptable suffering endured by primates in research labs. Stills and footage are available on request.
The Body Shop Foundation was started in 1990 as a way of consolidating all the charitable donations made by the The Body Shop and its extended family. The Foundation supports charities working on environmental, animal welfare and human rights issues. To date, it has donated over £8 million sterling in grants.
The BUAV has been campaigning for over 100 years to achieve a world where nobody wants or believes we need to experiment on animals. We are committed to achieving our aims through reliable and reasoned evidence-based debate. We are proudly non-violent and respect the quality of life for all – animals and people.
For more information contact: Media Manager Mary-Louise Harding on 020 7619 6978 Out of hours mobile: 07850 510 955
mary-louise.harding@buav.org
www.buav.org
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