Animal Rights Rally and Letter to Cut and Paste for Release of the Laboratory Dogs

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Letter sent to Agriculture Minister Michael Creed and shadow TD Andrew Doyle

Michael.creed@oir.ie and andrew.doyle@ioreachtas.ie

It is with grim determination that I write to ask you to speed up the release of dogs from the Charles River Laboratory. The only logical explanation for their retention, already a full 6 months after testing on them has stopped is because they are in such horrendous condition that they will spark further outrage if the public see them. The actual fact is that the laboratory that inflicted that treatment on the animals - 6 of the worst major non compliances ever exposed- should not be in charge of the animals’ recuperation.

Instead, Charles River or their umbrella company could be fined €100,000 for the non compliances and that money could go to the welfare groups that can and want to take care of them and get them ready for rehoming. This figure of €100,000 is fractionally less than the SEI gave the laboratory in grants. It is abhorrent to any human being that the company should continue to be facilitated and unaccountable even now.

It is the same principle that says that the lab’s documents of the test results should not be released in case it leads to people attacking the staff, which was last week’s response to the FOI request for information.

I am not really interested in a response from you that says that the ISPCA are working closely with Charles River and the DAFM to work out a rehoming programme. That is months it has been going on for and I wish you would stop protecting the company and openly and immediately extricate the dogs ( I gather 600 of them and 30 something puppies) and openly and immediately release funding for the ISPCA and whatever else they need – to rehabilitate the animals.

This Sunday is the last ARAN (Animal Rights Action Network) rally ever in Cork. The founder John Carmody is retiring after 21 years diligently raising compassion for and awareness of animal suffering. I would dearly love for your department to recognize his efforts and impact by making a public statement on animal welfare issues next week. Good news is required for the animals in laboratories, in fur farms, animals raised for food, dairy cows, live export, entertainment, the stray dogs, horses and cats and the raced and hunted wild and domestic animals as well.

Social enterprises that care for the less well off in our society, be they human or animal, need to be acknowledged, supported and prioritized as you all know or once did, when you first went in to politics.

Many thanks in advance,

Frances Micklem