Air France puts an end to primate shipments to laboratories
France is one of the countries in Europe that continues to experiment on primates, experiments in which the suffering inflicted on our cousins is particularly severe. Since 1996, we have been asking Air France to stop taking part in this torture inflicted on primates. We are extremely happy with this decision, even if it comes late in relation to the issue and other companies."Muriel Arnal, President of One Voice
Air France was one of the last major national airlines to continue to take part in the cruel trade in animals for use by laboratories, and in particular monkeys, most of which come from the Republic of Mauritius, where they are violently captured in the wild and destined for reproduction. Many of them are sent abroad, turning France into the hub of this trade, which is certainly legal, but dreadful.
This decision comes against the backdrop of the collection of one million signatures for the Save Cruelty Free Cosmetics European Citizens' Initiative to stop animal testing for cosmetics and the unanimous vote by MEPs to phase out animal testing in the EU by September 2021, and the effective implementation by the end of the year of the ban on the use of F1 primates (first generation primates born in captivity from wild-caught parents), with many other national and cargo companies having ceased these activities.
We have a thought for the macaques from Indonesia, Cambodia, Mauritius, transiting via the Silabe platform (in connection with the University of Strasbourg), for those still transported by other companies (Wamos Air, Egyptair or AirBridgeCargo), but also via Russia or the United States.
The decision will not be effective immediately but at the end of Air France's current contracts with research laboratories.
