Monkeys and a P3 lab at the CEA
We are continuing our information campaign on the biological activities of the CEA in Fontenay-aux-Roses. In 2026, as a new step, we are calling out the leadership of this institution — and in this very article, a petition to sign!
The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) has diversified its activities and now also conducts biological research. As you may have seen in our previous articles on this campaign, we have been following this research since 2015 (https://antidote-europe.eu/cea-troque-atomes-contre-virus/).
Why the CEA site in Fontenay-aux-Roses in particular? It turns out this centre holds a “P3” biosafety authorization, meaning it can study some of the most dangerous viruses and bacteria in the world. Yet these laboratories sit just fifty meters from the nearest homes! Located near the towns of Clamart, Châtillon, and Le Plessis-Robinson, in the Hauts-de-Seine département (92), they lie at the heart of a population of 147,000 residents.
As the CEA is a public institution, we sought to find out how our tax money was being used. We identified a few studies published by CEA researchers and commented on three experiments conducted on mouse lemurs (https://antidote-europe.eu/fontenay-aux-roses-impots/). Is this small nocturnal, tree-dwelling primate really a good “animal model” for humans? In our view, not at all!
400 crab-eating macaques
In 2018, monkeys imported from Mauritius arrived at Idmit (an acronym for a laboratory named “Infectious Disease Models for Innovative Therapies”). In 2022, according to the newspaper Le Monde, 400 crab-eating macaques and a P3 laboratory were reportedly available at this centre (https://antidote-europe.eu/400-singes-a-fontenay/).
Would the crab-eating (cynomolgus) macaque be a better “animal model” for humans than the mouse lemur? While one example is not proof, let us recall the accident during the TGN1412 clinical trial at a London hospital in 2006. Six healthy human volunteers had to be admitted to intensive care after receiving a dose of 0.1 mg/kg of the substance, whereas rhesus and cynomolgus monkeys given doses of 50 mg/kg showed no signs of toxicity (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2964774/). Many other examples of differing reactions between monkeys and humans could be cited.
Moreover, having taken part in the “prior public consultation” on the CNRS’s project to expand its monkey breeding facility in Rousset, we learned that a new monkey species, not yet bred anywhere in Europe, would be introduced at this future “National Primatology Centre”: the crab-eating macaque (https://antidote-europe.eu/davantage-de-singes/). Will individuals be sold to the CEA? We will certainly keep a close watch on both the CNRS and the CEA!
The scoop for 2026?
Faced with the difficulty of obtaining precise information, but determined to denounce not only the lack of relevance to humans of experiments conducted on monkeys but also the potential risks they pose to the population — and in particular to residents living near a P3 laboratory — Antidote Europe has been working with a lawyer since the summer of 2024.
We hope that 2026 will mark the tipping point. The major difference with our previous information campaigns is that this one is accompanied by legal action expressing our concerns about the animals involved as well as the environmental and health risks.
As our first action of the year, on January 26 we launched a petition addressed to the CEA’s Administrator General, available at https://www.mesopinions.com/petition/animaux/meilleure-information-laboratoires-experimentation-animale-cea/275988 through which we are asking, in summary:
1. the creation of a local information commission on animal experimentation;
2. the inclusion, within the CEA’s ethics committee, of civil society representatives with expertise in methods for replacing animal experimentation;
3. that the CEA agree to visits by veterinarians accredited by a coalition of animal protection associations;
4. the publication of an annual report on initiatives taken to replace animal experiments;
5. the creation of a rehabilitation program for primates that have been used in research.
In under a week, we had already gathered more than 15,000 signatures! Where does the count stand as you read these lines? There’s only one way to find out: visit the petition page!
As a second action, from March 2 to 13, 2026, we had 7,000 leaflets mailed to residents of Clamart, Châtillon, Fontenay-aux-Roses and Le Plessis-Robinson. Titled “Viruses and monkeys at the CEA near you,” the leaflet points out that the CEA holds around 400 monkeys at its Fontenay-aux-Roses site, and that France is preparing to breed even more monkeys for laboratory use. We are calling on people to sign the petition. Want to help spread this campaign further? Whether you live nearby or anywhere else in France, download the leaflet [https://antidote-europe.eu/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/260128TractCEArectoverso.pdf] print it, and share it electronically or on paper with all your contacts. A huge thank you to everyone who took part!
As a third action, on March 9, 2026, we sent an open letter [https://antidote-europe.eu/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/260309LettreAdminCEA.pdf] to the CEA’s Administrator General. We informed her that we had launched a petition addressed to her and that, as of the date the letter was sent, the petition had already gathered more than 20,000 signatures. We asked her how she intended to respond. On March 18, 2026, we received a letter from the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Space (MESRE), to whom we had forwarded a copy of our letter to the CEA’s Administrator General. The MESRE has asked her to examine the situation we raised and to keep us informed of any follow-up.
As a fourth action, on April 7, 2026, we wrote to the mayor of Fontenay-aux-Roses. We asked to meet with her so that we could share further information and see whether she and her team would be willing to act in the interest of their fellow citizens’ health and safety.
As a fifth action, in March and April 2026, we contacted more than twenty journalists from various media outlets (general news, environment, animal welfare, etc.). Several exchanges took place by phone, as well as following the sending of our “press briefing note,” which you can read here:
On April 24, 2026, the Savoir Animal website published an article by Antidote Europe about our campaign, available at https://savoir-animal.fr/exp/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/260226SynthesePresse.pdferimentation-animale-sur-les-singes-long-antidote-europe-demande-des-comptes-au-commissariat-a-lenergie-et-aux-energies-alternatives-cea/.
We are counting on you to share the link to this article with all your contacts, and to bookmark the link to our campaign (https://antidote-europe.eu/des-virus-au-cea/). More actions are on the way!