As part of the “France 2030 Plan,” the creation of a “National Primatology Centre” (CNP) has been proposed. In two previous articles (“More monkeys” and “Already too many monkeys!”), we reported on our very active involvement in the campaign opposing this project, in collaboration with several other associations. This third article was needed to celebrate seeing this opposition grow.
The French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) wants to expand its monkey breeding facility located in Rousset, near Marseille, turning it into the “National Primatology Centre” (CNP). Since September 2025, Antidote Europe has been very actively involved in the campaign opposing this project, in collaboration with several other associations.
After a “prior public consultation” intended as a dialogue with the public, the CNRS ignored the recommendations of the consultation’s independent overseer, as well as those of its own ethics committee! Within that committee, Ms. Virginie Courtier-Orgogozo, research director, issued a “dissenting position,” going as far as recommending opposition to the CNP project, “considering that France currently makes excessive use of non-human primates in basic research,” a practice which “translates into neither scientific leadership in neuroscience nor superiority in producing biomedical knowledge.”
A groundswell
Everything is accelerating! The associations are receiving support from numerous researchers who are finally daring to voice, loudly and clearly (some had been saying it quietly for a long time…), their opposition to the use of monkeys. The most determined among them are, precisely, primatologists.
In the collective memory of Antidote Europe’s members, we had never seen such an outcry! Everything is detailed on our website (“Lobbying Actions”), but here is a summary.
– On February 23, 2026, four associations released a joint press release. Antidote Europe is a co-signatory. This press release is available at https://antidote-europe.eu/23-fevrier-2026-2/.
– On February 26, 2026, the Vaucluse Animal Protection Collective (CVPA) — whom we warmly thank for coordinating this campaign from the outset — wrote to the CEO of the CNRS. The letter was co-signed by three other associations, including Antidote Europe.
– On March 5, 2026, the online magazine Savoir animal published an article by Dr. Roland Cash, vice-president of Transcience and one of the pillars of the campaign against the CNP, concluding: “with greater rigor in the project evaluation process and a proactive policy in favor of innovative non-animal methods — for which other countries are mobilizing hundreds of millions of euros — there is no reason why France should not follow the same virtuous path as Germany and the United Kingdom, or even the Netherlands, whose Parliament voted in 2025 to end funding for its primatology centre by 2030.” Antidote Europe also signed, and you can read it at https://savoir-animal.fr/projet-controverse-elevage-de-primates-destines-a-experimentation-le-cnrs-ignore-recommandations-du-garant-du-debat-public-et-son-propre-comite-ethique/.
– On March 26, 2026, the CVPA wrote to the Directorate General for Research and Innovation (DGRI), which is responsible for responding to the CNRS’s request for a €30 million grant to build the CNP. Yet the CNRS has not provided any genuine forward-looking study demonstrating the need for more monkeys for research in the coming years. On what criteria was the grant awarded? Could its disbursement be suspended? The CVPA’s letter was co-signed by five other associations, including Antidote Europe.
– On April 12, Mediapart and Savoir animal published an article by primatologist Amandine Renaud. She studies primates in their natural habitat and cannot understand why they would be kept in captivity! Read it at https://savoir-animal.fr/primatologue-je-moppose-a-expansion-station-de-primatologie-en-france/.
– On April 18, 2026, Le Monde published an op-ed signed by more than 160 researchers opposed to the CNP. Written by Virginie Courtier-Orgogozo and Roland Cash, it sent shockwaves through the scientific community! The authors point out that “since 2024, reservations have been raised on all sides: NGOs, civil society, researchers and academics, and lawmakers are questioning the merits of such a project on ethical, scientific, and economic grounds.” The arguments raised against the project are mainly ethical, but it is also noted — Antidote Europe agrees! — that “numerous studies show that extrapolating results obtained from captive primates to humans is far from straightforward.” Conclusion: “We ask the CNRS to revise its project, including an independent forward-looking study, and the State to commit to a roadmap for reducing the use of primates in public research.” For subscribers, the article is available at https://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2026/04/18/les-primates-utilises-a-des-fins-scientifiques-sont-generalement-moins-bien-lotis-que-ceux-des-zoos-ou-des-cirques_6681124_3232.html.
This cannot be the end of it…