20/1/2006
Ending bear bile farming in China

A campaign to end the practice of bear bile farming in China has received the support of more than half the total number of MEPs, which means that the written declaration supporting the campaign has now become European Parliament policy.

 UK MEPs have put further pressure on the Chinese government to end the torture of bears in advance of the 2008 Olympics.  MEPs have garnered support from over half the European Parliament to call on the Chinese government to end the barbaric practice of bile extraction.
 
News of the declaration prompted the Chinese government to hold a press conference defending bile extraction but the MEPs want the Chinese to ban it completely.  Despite the availability of herbal and synthetic alternatives, bear bile is still used in traditional Chinese medicines and occasionally found by police in raids on Chinatown in London.
 
MEPs have secured the signatures of over half the European Parliament - 377 MEPs - to take forward their written declaration on bear farming to the European Commission to demand action.
 
Condemning the practice Peter Skinner MEP said: "These farms are still legal in China, and the barbaric torture continues. We intend to keep this issue alive so the Chinese government will have to close the farms before the international press descends on them in 2008.
 
Neil Parish MEP said: "I am delighted MEPs have given this resolution their strong backing. The whole European Parliament will send a clear message from Strasbourg today demanding that China halts this barbaric and totally unnecessary trade.

"Bear bile farms are not illegal in China if operated under license and if anyone were to watch some of the videos I've seen, they would be horrified by the brutality.

Jill Robinson CBE, the CEO of Animals Asia said:

"This groundbreaking declaration shows the overwhelming support from the European Parliament for our Government partners in China who are helping Animals Asia to close down bear farms across the country. We now implore the Central Government to take a firm stance against this barbaric industry and to announce a date when it will end once and for all."
 
Asiatic Black Bears (Moon bears) are incarcerated in tiny wire cages with rusting metal catheters implanted in their abdomens through which bile is extracted for use in traditional medicines.
 
There are more than 7,000 bears imprisoned in cages on over 200 farms across China. Moon bears can expect to live up to 30 years in the wild, but life expectancy falls to 10-12 years for caged bears. Bear bile is illegal throughout the European Union.