WRITTEN QUESTION E-0286/04 by Caroline Lucas (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. EU monkey experiments.
Date: 2004-02-06
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Germany, animal experimentation, application of EU law, competence of the Member States, research body, veterinary inspection

3.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 84 E/565

(2004/C 84 E/0642)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0286/04

by Caroline Lucas (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(6 February 2004)

Subject: EU monkey experiments

I was very concerned to see the results of the undercover investigation by the UK Animal Rights
Organisation BUAV (British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection) conducted at research facilities in
Munster, Germany, owned by Covance GmbH Laboratories. The investigation indicates poor enforcement
of Directive 86/609/EEC (1) on the Protection of Animals used for Scientific and other Experimental
Purposes. As there are many similar research facilities throughout the EU, the conditions at the Munster
laboratory are of particular concern.

Please could the Commission respond to the findings of the BUAV investigation, and in particular say what
is being done to prevent further similar breaches of Directive 86/609 taking place in future?

How many contract testing laboratories are currently operating in the EU?

To what extent is the Commission able to monitor conditions for test animals in these facilities?

(1) OJ L 358, 18.12.1986, p. 1.

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(5 March 2004)

The Commission has been informed about the treatment of non-human primates at the Covance animal
research laboratories in Münster (in North Rhine-Westphalia) in Germany.

A subsequent Commission investigation showed that the German authorities have swiftly taken action.
According to information from North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), the Minister of Environment of NRW has
instructed the veterinarians in charge to immediately inspect the Covance laboratories. In addition, the
German authorities have agreed to start the procedure to cancel Covance’s licence to keep laboratory
animals. The public prosecutor has also been involved. Since appropriate action has been taken by the
German authorities, the Commission currently sees no need to conduct further investigations in this
matter.

Directive 86/609/CEE on the protection of animals used for experimental and other scientific purposes
requires user establishments to be registered with the national authority. Article 13 requires Member States
to provide statistical data only on the numbers of animals used in experiments. Therefore, the Commission
does not possess any statistics on the numbers of contract laboratories in the EU.

According to Directive 86/609/CEE the control of laboratories carrying out animal experiments is the
responsibility of the competent national authorities.

(2004/C 84 E/0643)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0289/04

by Marco Cappato (NI), Marco Pannella (NI),
Maurizio Turco (NI), Emma Bonino (NI), Gianfranco Dell’Alba (NI),
Benedetto Della Vedova (NI) and Olivier Dupuis (NI) to the Commission

Subject: Cultural genocide in China

(6 February 2004)

In her intervention during the discussion on the Prets report on cultural diversity on 13 January in
Strasbourg, Commissioner Viviane Reding expressed her satisfaction that the EU had ‘won the battle’ at the
Unesco General Assembly concerning the creation of an international instrument for the preservation of