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Infiltration of Covance in Germany
In early December a German TV station showed film taken by an infiltrator in the laboratory in Munster, Germany, of the contract research company Covance. The infiltrator, from the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV), had worked at the laboratory for about fifteen weeks earlier in the year, and had left more than five months before the broadcast.
BUAV made allegations about poor handling of macaques, inadequate housing and environment, and also questioned the scientific basis of the toxicity tests being carried out. However, it appears that BUAV used very carefully edited film to give the worst possible impression. Covance stated that careful scrutiny of one sequence showed that short clips were edited together showing different technicians working in different buildings carrying out different tasks. The result was a sequence of events that did not take place. BUAV's allegation that most primates are single-housed at the Munster facility is not true, says the company; BUAV chose not show the group-housing and pair-housing in its film. Covance has plans to upgrade primate accommodation with a view to meeting future EU guidelines.
No studies were compromised, nor is Covance aware that any client or confidential data was stolen. There did not seem to have been any violations of German law. Moreover, the facility had previously been inspected by the German authorities and showed full compliance with the appropriate regulations. The authorities immediately visited the Munster site after the TV programme aired and made a report, but this has not yet been made public.
The clear aim of the infiltration was to increase pressure against primate research in Europe. BUAV wants its supporters to write to MEPs, to the company, to the German Embassy in London and to the German authorities, urging support for an end to EU primate experiments.
Covance said that it was treating the allegations seriously and was conducting a full review. When the review is complete, the company will take any action that is shown to be necessary.