Thousands of these frightened creatures are heading for the UK, victims of a booming global demand from pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies for animals to use in tests. Figures released last week reveal that the number of live tests on monkeys in Britain soared by 16 per cent to 4,598 in the past year.
Animals rights groups have blasted the increasing use of chimps for testing in the UK and called on politicians here to end the cruel trade. Andrew Tyler, of Animal Aid, said: "Testing on monkeys is a savage, ugly and pointless business. If the public were to see what is happening to these poor monkeys during tests they would be horrified."
Most of the monkeys fetch about £1,000 each. But cruel farm managers spend as little as 20p a day caring for them. China's market in exporting chimps - sought after by companies to test on because they are the closest animal to man - is now worth an estimated £150million a year.
Around 90,000 monkeys were used in tests in labs across the world last year, and the vast majority were from Chinese farms. One farm currently being built by the Guangzhou Blooming Spring Biological Technology Development Co is hidden in the countryside and invisible from any main road.
Cages are concealed in a pink-tiled compound over a kilometre in length and are surrounded by a 12ft guarded wall. On arriving at the farm a supervisor boasted: "We have bought that hillside and soon it will be covered in cages. We already have feeding facilities for 50,000."
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