An animal welfare campaigner from Alsager is busy helping to plan the next protest outside Manchester Airport against cargoes of live animals destined for research in the UK.

Jane Smith, deputy leader of the Animal Welfare Party and an Alsager town councillor, will be taking part in a peaceful protest on August 20th outside the airport.

She said the protest will be against what she claims are the airport's "regular incoming cargoes of live macaques for UK research laboratories.

Alsager's Jane Smith 

"We've protested six times already outside Manchester Airport to raise awareness about their regular incoming cargoes of live animals, including monkeys and dogs, destined for UK research laboratories where they will be subjected to animal testing.

"From January to May 2022, 989 long-tailed macaques were flown into the country via Manchester Airport and shipments continue to arrive."

The group's first protest was on World Day for Animals in Laboratories, in April 2021 and in May they hand-delivered a 1,000-signature petition to the airport's owners, Manchester Airports Group plc, asking them to stop this practice.

"MAG plc have not yet responded to our petition so we're going back to the airport for our 20th August demonstration, this time in conjunction with Spanish colleagues who will be protesting on the same day outside Barcelona Airport, where some of these shipments come from," added Jane.

"These macaques, who are the descendants of wild-caught monkeys, are bred in Mauritius or Vietnam, then they're flown across the world for animal testing.

"Long-tailed macaques have just been announced as extinct in Bangladesh, so they're endangered. Figures, including Dr Jane Goodall, have spoken out against the use of primates in live animal testing.

"Earlier this year Air France announced it would stop transporting primates for research purposes."

A Manchester Airport spokesperson: "We are aware of a protest due to take place later this month at the airport. We respect peoples' right to peaceful protest and will work closely with Greater Manchester Police to minimise any impact on travelling passengers and ensure the safety of all concerned."