A LABORATORY lobby in the US has filed a complaint against four major airlines over their refusal to carry lab animals for medical research, reports London's Air Cargo News.
The National Association of Biomedical Research (NABR) filed a complaint with the US Department of Transport (DoT) against United Airlines, British Airways, China Southern and Qatar Airways.
NABR's main complaint is that the practice of refusing to carry animals for testing is unlawful as the airlines do carry them as pets, for zoos and other reasons.
The group says airlines' refusal to carry the animals is because of public pressure from campaign groups rather than because of safety concerns.
In the DoT documentation, the NABR also argues the need to transport animals for testing in order to develop new life-saving medicines.
The NABR says that the cost and time it takes to transport animals is being driven up by the practice as there are only a select number of airlines that offer the service.
Airlines respond with the argument that they have the right to carry what they want if they treat all shippers equally, citing a recent judicial decision backing a refusal to fly hunting trophies..
China Southern claimed that the NABR brought the action 'arbitrarily against a selective and exceedingly small number of carriers, despite its allegations this is an industry-wide practice'.
The Chinese carrier cited the US court decision that affirmed that 'a common carrier has the discretion to discriminate in what it chooses to carry'.
'Laboratory monkeys are not the same category as pet monkeys or zoo monkeys,' the airline wrote.
The National Association of Biomedical Research (NABR) filed a complaint with the US Department of Transport (DoT) against United Airlines, British Airways, China Southern and Qatar Airways.
NABR's main complaint is that the practice of refusing to carry animals for testing is unlawful as the airlines do carry them as pets, for zoos and other reasons.
The group says airlines' refusal to carry the animals is because of public pressure from campaign groups rather than because of safety concerns.
In the DoT documentation, the NABR also argues the need to transport animals for testing in order to develop new life-saving medicines.
The NABR says that the cost and time it takes to transport animals is being driven up by the practice as there are only a select number of airlines that offer the service.
Airlines respond with the argument that they have the right to carry what they want if they treat all shippers equally, citing a recent judicial decision backing a refusal to fly hunting trophies..
China Southern claimed that the NABR brought the action 'arbitrarily against a selective and exceedingly small number of carriers, despite its allegations this is an industry-wide practice'.
The Chinese carrier cited the US court decision that affirmed that 'a common carrier has the discretion to discriminate in what it chooses to carry'.
'Laboratory monkeys are not the same category as pet monkeys or zoo monkeys,' the airline wrote.