Euro MP Liz Lynne joins call to 'Save the Primates'

12.28.00pm GMT Fri 6th Nov 2009

Liz has long supported campaigns by groups such as Animal Defenders International to end experiments on higher mammals.

Lib Dem MEP Liz Lynne is backing a campaign by animal welfare organisations for a total EU wide ban on using primates in lab research and testing.

A long time campaigner on animal welfare issues, Liz Lynne has called for a ban on primate experiments for many years. The West Midlands MEP met with campaigners on November 4th before a meeting in the European Parliament to discuss moves to update the 1986 Animal Research Directive.

The Animal Research Directive is now outdated due to huge advances in the field of animal experimentation and the development of alternative research techniques to check the safety of drugs or cosmetics.

Earlier this year the campaign to stop experiments suffered a setback when the Conservatives and other MEPs watered down the text of the revised Directive and prevented the proposals for a ban on primate experiments from going as far as they could.

After the meeting Liz Lynne said: "The time has now come to ban the use of primates in laboratory testing across the EU and for us to start using the more ethical advanced scientific research techniques that are now available.

"There was a prime opportunity this year to enshrine a ban on primate experiments in European law and I was bitterly disappointed that it was missed. We must now keep up the pressure for the Directive to be updated with a total ban.

"With so many alternatives now available, it is abhorrent that these often endangered intelligent animals are still subject to this treatment in the 21st Century."