Lower House wants ban on animal testing on monkeys

The Lower House wants to ban scientific testing on apes as soon as possible. All parties voted on Tuesday afternoon for a motion to this end.

Testing on monkeys can contribute to the development of drugs aimed at tackling serious diseases, according to governing parties VVD and PvdA. However, animal testing in the Biomedical Primate Research Centre (BPRC) and other research centres must be stopped as soon as possible.

Reduce animal testing to zero

The government must therefore commission a study into how the number of tests can be reduced to zero ‘without this affecting research which is strictly necessary to tackle life-threatening diseases and outbreaks of infectious diseases which put public health at risk’. The two governing parties want to have a plan within a few months, with a time schedule and measurable goals.

Unanimous support

The entire Lower House supported the motion. Only the Party for the Animals (PvdD) made a reservation. According to the PvdD, testing on apes does not contribute in any way to the development of drugs and tackling serious diseases. However, the goal was more important than this reservation, so the party supported the motion. Two motions about looking for alternatives also received support from the majority of the House.

Incidentally, no testing on great apes like chimpanzees or gorillas has been allowed since 2002. The current motions therefore concern non-human primate species.