Portugal will export animals for lab tests

The Portuguese government recently approved the construction of a massive animal factory in Azambuja, a city near Lisbon, the capital of Portugal.


This factory will provide animals for lab tests throughout Europe and Africa.


The “Biotério”, as it is called, will have 25 000 cages and it will cost 36 million euros, 27 million of which will be funded by the European Union.

Please note that in 2008 the European Union, which is supposed to be working towards the abolition of animal testing, has only given 2,2 million euros to the European Centre for the Validation of Alternatives Methods.


Here in Portugal, the main entities who will be responsible for this new animal holocaust are the Champalimaud Foundation (www. fchampalimaud. org) and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (www. gulbenkian. pt). Mind you, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, who is seen mainly as a promoter of arts and culture, has already been doing regular animal research on its own.

Last but not least, you have the city council of Azambuja (www. cm-azambuja. pt) who rejoices on the prospect of creating new jobs.
The question is, how long will those jobs last, since we all know animal testing will eventually be banned?

Here are the e-mails of each of these entities:

Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
info@igc.gulbenkian.pt (Gulbenkian Institute of Science, where they already conduct animal tests)
info@gulbenkian.pt (Direction)
calouste@gulbenkian-paris.org (Cultural centre in France)

Champalimaud Foundation
info@fundacaochampalimaud.pt

Azambuja city council
geral@cm-azambuja.pt


If you have an interest in animal welfare, please send an e-mail to each of these addresses showing your disapproval of the fact that Portugal may be about to become Europe’s largest exporter of animals for tests.