Home » Bulletin 2004
Primate breeder protests escalate in Spain
The level of protest against a new primate breeding facility in Spain is increasing.
A new primate breeding facility, called Noveprim, was recently built near the town of Camarles in northern Spain by the Centre de Recherches Primatologiques (CRP), the long-established Mauritius breeder. Protests against the centre began as soon as the plans were announced and have been growing since then.
CRP's first application to build the centre was refused in 1999, following protests by local animal rights groups and some residents from Camarles. Subsequently, CRP opened negotiations with the local planning authorities and a revised proposal was accepted.
However, when CRP started building the new facility, protests began again. Several Spanish animal rights groups, and even some UK groups such as Animal Defenders International, mounted campaigns against the project. These encouraged one or two local politicians to make speeches opposing the breeding centre.
The first batch of 300 macaques was brought into the Noveprim facility a few months ago. The Altarriba Foundation, based in Barcelona, is urging people to write to Pasqual Maragall, president of the autonomous Catalonian government, asking him to prevent the animals from being sold for research.