BAN ON EXPERIMENTATION ON PRIMATES COMES A STEP CLOSER

6.18.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 6th Sep 2007

Today West Midlands 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!"