"The construction by the CNRS of a national primate breeding center is part of a short-term vision of biomedical research."

In 2022, France used 563 non-human primates for basic and applied research (excluding animal reuse), compared to 144 in Germany and 174 in the United Kingdom. However, if we look at the number of publications in the biomedical field, these two countries significantly exceed France (according to the journal Nature ). This overconsumption of primates compared to our neighbors therefore does not appear to provide any scientific advantage.

However, in July 2024, the CNRS launched a call for tenders as part of public procurement for the construction of a national primatology center in the commune of Rousset (Bouches-du-Rhône), not far from Marseille. The construction period is estimated at fifty-eight months for a budget of 30 million euros excluding taxes, to which should be added the future and significant operating costs. This center is supposed to accommodate "eventually" 1,740 primates, which would make it possible to meet 40% of the demand for French academic research to compensate for a supposed "shortage" .

Such a goal seems excessive. Let's do a quick calculation: 40% of the current number of primates used annually in basic and applied research represents 225 animals. Why then consider breeding 1,740 primates for an annual "production" of around 200 animals? Especially since we are talking about a future of eight to ten years. By then, non-animal methods, which are booming, will have progressed considerably, and society, already largely opposed to animal experimentation today, will be even more so. Either the CNRS is planning an increase in the use of primates in academic research in the coming years, or it is considering selling them to private users or other European users.

In either case, such a project is contrary to the objectives of European Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals for scientific purposes . Recital 10 states that it represents an important step towards "the ultimate objective of completely replacing procedures on live animals for scientific and educational purposes as soon as scientifically feasible." Recital 17 states: " (...) the use of non-human primates is of great concern to citizens. The use of non-human primates should therefore only be permitted in biomedical areas essential to human health, for which no alternative methods currently exist."

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