Florida Congress Members Want Investigation of Primate Products, Inc.
PETA’s investigation of Primate Products, Inc. (PPI), a primate dealer in Hendry County, Florida, that imports and warehouses monkeys and sells them to laboratories, revealed that workers terrorized the animals, denied them needed veterinary care, and performed crude medical procedures that the workers weren’t trained to do.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reviewed PETA’s findings and launched an investigation of its own. After its initial inspection, the agency cited the facility for a staggering 25 violations of the Animal Welfare Act, and its investigation is still ongoing. And now three of Florida’s congressional representatives are urging the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) to open its own investigation as well, since Primate Products has been awarded contracts with several agencies within that department worth millions in taxpayer dollars.
In a letter to Sylvia Mathews Burwell, secretary of the HHS, U.S. Reps. Ted Deutch, Alcee Hastings, and Lois Frankel wrote, “[W]e strongly urge the Agency to conduct its own inquiry into possible animal abuse at PPI, and review your contracts with the company to determine whether an action should be taken pending the results of the USDA’s investigation.”
What You Can Do
Ask Hendry County officials to find that PPI is not complying with the county’s code, deny PPI any variance or special exception, and then close it down for good.
