There appears to be growing speculation that authorities in Lower Saxony and LPT GmbH & Co. KG have reached agreement about the imminent closure of the company's Mienenbuettel site, the facility at the centre of our joint investigation with SOKO Tierschutz.

If this is the case, we would obviously be relieved that our investigation has led to the end of animal suffering at this particular LPT site. We would very much urge, however, that closure of Mienenbuettel is not the end of the story.

Our Director of Science, Dr Katy Taylor, said: "We are heartened by news that LPT Mienenbuettel may imminently be closed and that animals will no longer suffer behind its doors. However, we hope that any news of the closure is accompanied by information on action that the authorities intend to take to make sure that any animals who remain at the site are promptly and compassionately rehomed and that action will be taken against the company for cruelty and legal infringements. LPT has two other animal testing sites that must also come under intense scrutiny. We believe that the company as a whole should be stopped from conducting animal experiments based on the evidence from our investigation."

We are also calling for action to tackle the wider issues around toxicity testing on animals in Germany as a whole and in the European Union. Dr Taylor continued: "Our investigation has highlighted the failure of the German government to uphold European rules on animals used in experiments. Not only should they be held accountable for that by the EU but the EU itself must look closely at whether those rules are fit for purpose."

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