The French Coalition Against Vivisection recently received a copy of the client list from a notorious breeder of miniature pigs, Ellegaard Göttingen Minipigs A/S, for the research industry. The Göttingen minipig is a specific genetic breed, and its genetic make-up has been patented to prevent unauthorised breeding. According to the Ellegaard website the price of each animal is from €1,100 for a 2 month old animal up to €1,310 for an animal over one year old.

The Göttingen minipig® was first bred at the University of Göttingen in Germany, but in 1992 the licence too breed Göttingen minipigs was handed over to Ellegaard Göttingen Minipigs A/S in Denmark and then, in 2002, Ellegaard Göttingen Minipigs A/S formed a collaboration with Marshall BioResources, USA. These two companies own the only two facilities worldwide supplying Göttingen minipigs:

Ellegaard Göttingen Minipigs A/S
Phone: +45 5818 5818
Fax: +45 5818 5880
E-Mail: ellegaard@minipigs.dk

Marshall BioResources
Phone: +1 315 587 2295
Fax: +1 315 587 2109
E-Mail: infous@marshallbio.com

After careful research to assess the leaked client list's authenticity, we can now expose the four French research laboratories listed on the leaked client list for conducting experiments on minipigs. Each of the four facilities listed also regularly conduct experiments on other 'large' animals, including dogs, cats and primates.

Centre International de Toxicologie,
Route Pacy,
27930 Miserey
Tél. : +33 (0)2 32 29 26 26
Fax : +33 (0)2 32 67 87 05
Email : cit@citox.com

Clinique Vétérinaire Voltaire,
119 boulevard Voltaire,
92600 Asnières
Tél. : +33 (0)1 47 33 08 95
Fax : +33 (0)1 47 33 30 37
Email : rosolen@club-internet.fr

IRBA-CRSSA
24 avenue des Maquis du Grésivaudan
38 702 La Tronche
Tél. : +33 (0)4 76 63 69 89

Sanofi Aventis R&D
2-8, rue de Rouen
Zone industrielle de Limay
78440 Porcheville
Tél. : +33 (0)1 34 79 57 00
Fax : +33 (0)1 34 79 55 07

Whilst it is always very difficult to verify the nature of experiments conducted at these facilities, mainly due to the secrecy of the vivisectors, CAV researchers have uncovered conclusive evidence that all four of the laboratories listed have conducted experiments on minipigs, and that at least two of them have conducted cruel experiments on Göttingen minipigs in 2010.

One experiment conducted in 2010 at the IRBA-CRSSA involved exposing areas of the pigs' skin to high-doses of radiation, which caused severe damage to the skin and muscle tissue of the animals, and their wounds were monitored over 9 months. The tests were to test the effects of a new treatment for radiation burns, which is already being used for humans, and the results were that Göttingen minipigs were suitable victims for radiation experiments: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20600578

Minipigs can be used for a number of scientific procedures, but the company's website seems to suggest a focus on toxicology and drug development when it states, "Göttingen minipigs ® are accepted non-rodent models in pharmacology and toxicology. Studies performed on these minipigs are fully recognized by regulatory authorities worldwide, including FDA [of the United states]. They should be considered, along with dogs and primates, when choosing the best non-rodent species for drug development and regulatory studies." --http://www.minipigs.dk/

However, what Ellegaard Göttingen Minipigs A/S don't mention on their website is that pigs are highly intelligent, highly sentient creatures who lead complex social lives similar to primates and have both a high capacity to suffer and to understand the nature of their suffering. The Coalition Anti-Vivisection condemns the use of all animals in experiments and calls upon the research facilities listed to immediately cease all their cruel experiments on animals.