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Home Office

Answer

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) of the primates listed in Table 2 of his Department's statistics on the use of animals in scientific procedures for 1999 which came from outside the EU (a) how many were wild-caught, (b) from which countries were wild-caught primates imported, (c) how many were ill or injured on arrival, specifying the illness or injury in each case and (d) how many became ill or were injured during quarantine for reasons unrelated to the scientific procedures, specifying the illness or injury in each case; [160894] (2) of the primates listed in Table 2 of his Department's statistics on the use of animals in scientific procedures for 1999 which came from outside of the EU (a) how many were captive-bred, (b) from which countries captive-bred primates were imported, (c) how many were ill or injured on arrival, specifying the illness or injury in each case and (d) how many became ill or were injured during quarantine for reasons unrelated to the scientific procedures, specifying the illness or injury in each case; [160895] (3) in relation to primates destined for UK laboratories not used for scientific procedures (a) how many primates (i) captive-bred and (ii) wild-caught outside the EU were (A) found dead on arrival in the UK and (B) died or became ill in quarantine in (x) 1999 and (y) 2000 in each case giving relevant details. [160917] Mr. Mike O'Brien: We announced in 1997 our intention that licences under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 will never be issued for programmes of work involving the use of Great Apes (chimpanzees, pygmy chimpanzees, gorillas and orang-utans) and that exceptional justification is required for the use of wild-caught primates. In addition, the 1986 Act requires that non-human primates cannot be used unless no other species is suitable. Along with regulatory testing to help ensure the safety of medicines, non-human primates (mainly marmosets and macaques) are also used for other important areas of fundamental research. For example, they contribute to programmes of work relating to Parkinson's disease, visual impairment, stroke, diabetes, disorders of reproduction and vaccine development. Table 2 of the Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 1999 records 418 non- human primates used in scientific procedures as coming from outside the European Union. The detailed information requested in relation to these animals is for the most part not held centrally by the Home Office and it is, therefore, not possible to provide all of the information required about them. However, Home Office records confirm that none of these 418 animals were wild caught. The overseas sources of primates used in 1999 were Mauritius, the Philippines, China, Israel and South Africa. I am advised that problems encountered with imported primates are generally few and instances of death following acquisition are very rare. It is not possible to provide general information with regard to primates destined for laboratories in the United Kingdom but subsequently not used. Such animals are not included in the annual statistics. However, I have previously advised the hon. Member that no deaths or injuries have been reported in baboons during transportation, including the group of twenty-eight wild-caught baboons imported from Kenya in May 1999 but not used.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

368 c422-4W; 160894;160895;160917

Session

2000-01

Subjects

Animal welfare Animal experiments Primates Wildlife

Legislation

Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk