Demonstration on April, 26th against the expansion of the primatology station in Rousset (France)

At a time when research across many fields is moving beyond animal experimentation and alternative methods are proving increasingly, the CNRS is investing heavily in extending its primatology station at Rousset, 16 km from Aix-en-Provence.

The aim? To transform the station into a national primatology centre, tripling its capacity. The site would be expanded from 600 to 1,740 primates (baboons, macaques, squirrel monkeys and marmosets) destined for use in French laboratories. 

A public tender for the expansion work has already been issued.

This project, costing over €30 million and funded by taxpayers, goes against the European Directive 2010/63/EU, which promotes ‘the total replacement of procedures applied to live animals for scientific or educational purposes, as soon as scientifically possible’.

Let’s recall that three quarters of French citizens are opposed to animal experimentation, 81% are opposed to experiments on primates and 80% support the closure of primate breeding facilities in France.

Does it still make sense to launch such a breeding project in 2025 knowing that its construction will not be completed before 2030 and that it will then take a further 4 to 5 years to ‘produce’ enough primates for a demand that will likely have shifted by then?

We strongly doubt it. This is why One Voice and the Collectif Vauclusien de Protection Animale, supported by more than fifty national and international organisations (associations, collectives, foundations, parties, etc.), will gather on  April,26th from 1.45pm to voice two demands:

• an ethical, scientific and economic assessment of the relevance of the extension project by an independent committee,
• the reallocation of public funds towards innovative animal-free research methods.

To find out more, click here:

Awareness and public information articles:

• One Voice article revealing the purchase of 500 guenons from Mauritius by the State via the CNRS
• One Voice article against the Rousset extension project
• One Voice investigation into the Mauritian origin of long-tailed macaques in French laboratories
• Alert on the transport of primates on air transport

The petition :

• One Voice petition against the extension of the primatology site

Advocacy action: 

• Written question submitted to the government about the extension of the Rousset station

What the press is saying:

• Article on the extension of the Rousset primatology station (2024)

Specialist reports and websites:

• One Voice report on the use of primates in animal experimentation (2023)
• Website presenting and analysing the figures for animal experimentation in France
• Portal for information and ethical reflection on animal experimentation

About the CNRS in Bouches-du-Rhône :

• Website of the Rousset Primatology Station
• CNRS information on this research unit