Incidences of animal extremism fall but intensity increases

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry's (ABPI) figures for animal extremist activity in 2005 show a drop of over 50% (from 177 to 85) in the number of incidences of damage to company, personal and public property in comparison to 2004. Only 10 of these were performed in the fourth-quarter, marking a significant drop on the other quarters of 2005, which, in chronological order, experienced 30, 20 and 25 incidences.

However, there was almost a 34% increase in the number of unadvertised demonstrations, from 680 to 908, and, most worryingly, a 700% increase in the usage of incendiary devices, from one to eight, continuing a trend that the ABPI highlighted back in August 2005.

Other significant falls occurred in the number of abusive or threatening messages, which dropped by exactly two thirds from 108 to 36; the number of home visits received by directors and employees of companies, which fell by 58% from 90 to 38 and by 87% from 89 to 12 respectively; and in the number of arrests at demonstrations, which fell by 46% from 124 to 67.

The number of 'capitulations' - companies and organisations agreeing not to work with those involved in animal research - was fairly stable, dropping by around 9% from 113 to 103.

'While the figures are undoubtedly encouraging, there is still some way to go,' said Dr Philip Wright, director of science and technology at the ABPI. 'The number of incidents has reduced dramatically, but 85 instances of criminal damage during the year is still 85 instances too many.

'However, I am very hopeful that sustained government commitment, the recognition by the courts of the severity of the crimes, and the provisions of the Serious Organised Crime Act, which came into effect halfway through last year, will combine to reduce the amount of criminal activity still further.

'Eight incendiary devices, coupled with the fact that there were also six attacks on people causing injury, is a worrying development. In some ways, it shows how successfully the extremists have been blocked from other forms of illegal activity, but violent attacks on individuals is an appalling way of trying to frighten people from carrying out their legitimate business of helping research and develop new medicines.'

2005 saw the closure of Darley Oaks guinea pig farm in Staffordshire, UK following a lengthy intimidation campaign by animal extremists, and investigations into 'animal on a chip' technology by researchers at Cornell University in the US. Designed to cut down on animal testing, the technology is an in vivo surrogate that contains an arrangement of interconnected 'organ' or 'tissue' compartments, each containing a culture of living cells from animals or humans, thus enabling it to mimic the function of a particular organ or tissue.