Significant reduction in animal extremist attacks

pharmafile | July 27, 2006 | News story | |   

The number of attacks by animal rights extremists in the first six months of 2006 dropped sharply, building on improvements in the situation seen in 2005.

Legislation introduced in February 2005 to combat the extremists together with better policing and more stakeholder involvement accounts for the reduction, according to the ABPI.

The association's figures show 'home visits' – attacks on people's homes, usually at night – reached an all-time low in the first half of 2006.

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ABPI director of science and technology Dr Philip Wright said: "These figures mark a sea-change in the level of attacks and harassment in the UK and substantive progress towards Government objectives.

"[They] show that good progress has been made by the Government in combating animal rights extremism."

There was a drop in virtually every area of illegal activity in the six months up to July.

There were 13 'home visits' to company directors, down from 22 in the same period in 2005 and 57 in 2004.

Furthermore, 'home visits' to less senior employees have virtually disappeared this year – there were just two in the six months to June 2006, compared with 10 in 2005 and 53 in 2004.

But animal rights extremists persist with illegal activity and the ABPI warned against complacency.

"While this success is to be celebrated, it is vital to sustain the effort to ensure that business confidence can continue to build and that suppliers of services to those engaged in medicines research are no longer afraid to carry out their legitimate business," Dr Wright said.

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