At a meeting of the Harburg district council yesterday, Councillor Rainer Rempe and manager of the local veterinary office Thorsten Voelker are reported to be actively considering the possible closure of Laboratory of Pharmacology & Toxicology (LPT), the animal testing facility whose unlawful practices were exposed by our joint investigation with SOKO-Tierschutz.

The pair announced that they are currently examining a range of possible actions. The Harburg veterinary office has already implemented a series of tighter inspections and other conditions on the lab.

Our Director of Public Affairs, Kerry Postlewhite said: "This is very welcome news. We're pleased that the work that we have done with SOKO-Tierschutz to uncover the cruelty and breaches at LPT are being taken seriously by the local authority. We would urge them not to delay and act now in the interests of the animals currently at the laboratory and animals destined for the laboratory in the future."

The findings from our investigation, which took place earlier this year at the LPT site where monkeys, cats, dogs and rabbits are used in toxicology tests, show beyond doubt that using animals in this type of testing is deeply inhumane. To date, nearly 80,000 people have joined us in contacting the European Commission urging a fundamental review of toxicity testing on animals in the European Union. 

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