Just days after the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) launched its report on use of non-human primates in research, the Government posted its response to a different report on the same topic, namely the Animal Procedures Committee’s Report on Non-Human Primates. The two make interesting comparisons.

BUAV is calling for a legislative or administrative prohibition on all primate experiments in Britain. In contrast, the Government has made very clear that there is no immediate prospect of an end to this use whilst the benefits to humans, animals and the environment outweigh the costs to the animals involved and until there are suitable alternatives available.

This is not what BUAV want to hear. Unfortunately for them, it couldn’t be simpler. The benefits of using non-human primates in research remain both significant and necessary at the present time.

Non-human primates are accorded special protection under UK law. Their use constitutes only about 0.1 per cent of all animal procedures. For now this research will continue, despite the campaigning of the animal rights groups. We await with interest the report of the Weatherall Committee which will investigate a more strategic approach to the future use of NHPs in research at both a UK and global level… (and) will help inform the scientific basis on which future policy decisions are taken.