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Time to admit animal research does not work

The October NAVC newsletter is out now. Members will receive it in the mail and everyone else can down load a PDF file

Page on Dog Experiments at Massey University added here.

Media release: Thursday August 18th 2005

Anti Vivisection group says animal ethics committee are 'worse than useless'

Anti vivisection campaigners say they have no faith in the animal ethics
committees that administer animal research. The National Animal Ethics
Advisory Committee (NAEAC) released its annual report today which showed
that 246,122 animals were used in research and testing in 2004. The report
claims animal experiments are only carried out if absolutely necessary, but
the National Anti Vivisection Campaign says there is no independent
verification of what goes on in animal research labs.

"Hundreds of thousands of animals are being killed in experiments all over
the country, and the institutions that carry out these experiments, often
with public money, refuse to release detailed information on the types of
experiments being carried out" said NAVC spokesperson Mark Eden.

"The law provides for anonymous 'animal ethics committees' made up mostly of
animal researchers, who meet in secret and approve experiments without any
oversight or public input. Why should we have faith in these people?"

"10,459 animals were subjected to 'very severe suffering' last year,
according to the report. NAEAC assures us this was absolutely necessary, but
they refuse to provide enough information to allow independent scientific
assessment of their claims. If they are so sure their claims are true they
should make details of these experiments available to the public".

"Animals are dying in cruel, pointless experiments in dozens of laboratories
around the country. The vivisection industry relies on secrecy because they
know they cannot justify what they are doing. The animal ethics committee
system is worse than useless. It is set up to protect vivisectors from
public criticism, and is harming animals, not helping them." said Mr Eden

More information on vivisection in New Zealand including animal research statistics from major universities and AgResearch, is here.

ANZCCART protest report added here.

COVANCE EXPOSED

Multinational animal testing company Covance have been caught abusing animals and breaking the law yet again. One of PeTA's undercover investigators has been working as a primate technician in the toxicology department of Covance's Virginia lab in the USA for 11 months. She was able to film Covance staff abusing monkeys in truly horrific ways.

The full details of the investigation can be seen at:
www.covancecruelty.com
www.covancecampaign.com
www.tierbefreier.de

The investigator witnessed and filmed the following behaviour:
- Physical violence against the primates by Covance technicians
- Verbal and psychological abuse of the primates by Covance technicians
- Failure to provide prompt and appropriate veterinary care
- Failure to provide appropriate euthanasia
- Animals known to be unhealthy used in new studies
- Failure to use less painful methods to conduct ECGs
- Failure to properly train and supervise employees
- Painful and stressful procedures performed in full view of other primates (conspecifics)
- Failure to provide environmental enrichment
- Soaked primates left in cages after hoses were used on them during cleaning

This kind of behaviour has already been filmed in Covance's lab in Germany and now the same thing has been found in the USA. What a disgusting company!

Protest at Upper Hutt company

Animal Activists believe an Upper Hutt chemical company is responsible for cruel animal experiments and will protest outside the premises, all day, Monday 18 April.

National Anti Vivisection Campaign (NAVC) spokesperson Mark Eden believes Schering Plough, Whakatiki Street, is responsible for some of the worst animal experiments in the country.

"We've been asking for details of their experiments for months, but they have refused to answer my questions."

The activists will be asking workers at Schering Plough Animal Health to blow the whistle on cruelty.

"Leaflets urging them to expose the truth will be handed to everyone entering the factory, including workers, contractors and suppliers".

"We are going direct to the workers in the hope that these people will give us information on the experiments taking place there. We know many workers will be disgusted by vivisection and some may be willing to supply information to us".

"According to the National Animal Ethics Advisory Committee annual report, the highest level of suffering inflicted on animals in New Zealand, described as `very severe suffering', was used in the testing of animal health vaccines. Schering Plough is a major producer of animal vaccines and is licensed by MAF to carry out animal experimentation".

"We wrote to Schering Plough in December last year and despite numerous phone calls, they refused to even acknowledge our letters. Instead, last month they sent us a small pamphlet printed in the United States, which states that the company is very proud of the fact that all its animal experiments are within the law and that it makes donations to organisations that support alternatives to animal testing."

"However, if the management at Schering Plough think that will satisfy us they are dead wrong. We want the real answers".

"If they are not responsible for the torture of hundreds of animals in the cruellest experiments in the country then they can prove it by supplying us with their animal experimentation records. But they continue to evade our questions, which show they must have something to hide," says Mr Eden.

For further information contact:

National Anti Vivisection Campaign
PO Box 6387, Wellington