Poll Finds Broad Opposition to Covance’s Animal-Testing Plans

A new opinion poll reveals that a clear majority of the residents of Chandler, Ariz., oppose Covance’s plans to build an animal-testing facility in their town. The results of the survey, which was commissioned by PCRM, were released at a June 20 news conference in Chandler, a suburb of Phoenix.

At the event, three PCRM physicians joined PCRM executive director Mindy Kursban, Esq., to discuss the survey and explain the public health hazards and animal welfare issues raised by the proposed 400,000-square-foot facility.

Covance, a New Jersey-based company that tests cosmetic ingredients, food additives, pesticides, and drugs on monkeys, dogs, cats, and other animals, was recently fined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for physically abusing monkeys in violation of the Animal Welfare Act. The company, operating under a different name, had a facility closed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention because Ebola-infected monkeys were brought into the building.