Richard Prosser MP

Spokesperson for Animal Welfare
15 AUGUST 2016

NZ Could Drive Drug Testing Advances

New Zealand First says the country should be at the forefront of developing technologies that will enable medical research to move beyond animal testing.

“While there is a need for testing, there are new techniques being developed so we don’t have to rely on animal models,” says Animal Welfare Spokesperson Richard Prosser, in response to the announcement of plans by Otago University to build a new $50 million Animal Research Facility.

“Technologies that don’t require live animals, or tissues from them, are what New Zealand should be focussing on.

“To see more resources put into research is positive, but let’s try leading the world.

“Killing animals in the name of medical advances has been an unfortunate necessity for mankind thus far, but there are alternatives now that can be developed further, and we as a nation need to be driving that charge.”

ENDS

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