NEWS RELEASE
RSPCA inquiry call increases pressure on government
The RSPCA has called on the Government to set up an independent
judicial inquiry into the Diaries of Despair affair - the secret
history of pig-to-primate organ transplant experiments.
The research was commissioned by Imutran Ltd and took place at
controversial testing laboratory Huntingdon Life Sciences.
Following a resolution passed by RSPCA members at the charity's
recent AGM in June, the charity has written to the Home Secretary,
David Blunkett, urging him to establish a judicial inquiry.
The RSPCA intervened in the legal case brought by Imutran against
Uncaged Campaigns in order to obtain permission to produce a report
based on the leaked 'Diaries of Despair' information. The charity
had downloaded the information before Imutran forced the closure
of Uncaged Campaigns' www.xenodiaries.org website that had originally
published thousands of pages of confidential documentation. The
RSPCA report may be published within a few months.
The Home Office has so far flatly refused to launch an inquiry.
Home Office Minister Mike O'Brien twice refused to explain to the
official Government advisors, the Animal Procedures Committee, why
no inquiry has been instigated, despite the committee's expression
of 'surprise'.
Dan Lyons, author of the Diaries of Despair report,
explains:
"The Home Office's response to the embarrassing
revelations in the leaked Imutran information has become increasingly
desperate. The Government's utter contempt for animal welfare regulations
that was exposed by the documents has persisted in its transparent
attempt to cover-up the debacle. What's more, by insulting people's
intelligence, the Government is excerbating the disrepute it is
heaping upon itself."
On 21 September, Uncaged Campaigns will be holding a demonstration
in London to protest at the Home Office's dishonest and callous
conduct, and will submit in excess of 100,000 signatures to the
Prime Minister protesting against xenotransplantation and calling
for an independent judicial inquiry.
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