Last week Allyson Bennet wrote about how animal rights groups often misrepresent the facts in order to further their agenda of ending the use of animals in medical research, citing the example of a campaign against Primate Products, Inc.
The USDA inspection report has now been published and confirms that no non-compliant items were identified during the inspection at Primate Products Inc. on September 20 2010. This was the inspection carried out in response to the allegations made by PeTA and other animal rights groups.
In addition Ed Silverman of the Pharmalot blog quotes USDA Spokesman Dave Sacks as saying:
It was a clean inspection report…there was nothing found that was against animal welfare regulations…Group housing of primates is allowed in the animal welfare regulations…with the mindset that’s more closely adapted to how they live in the wild. These animals do various fighting among themselves for hierarchy…so that will carry through to how they are housed…But if in those housing situations, if there is a monkey that gets injured, we require the facility to provide adequate care.”
We are glad to see that the USDA understands rhesus macaque behavior, unlike the animal rights activists who have made unfounded allegations against PPI.
Speaking of Research 