Nefarma welcomes govt focus on ARE

The Netherlands' drugmakers association, Nefarma, has welcomed the growing government focus on the problem of animal rights extremism, but  calls for tough measures against the perpetrators of violence and  intimidation towards pharmaceutical research firms and their employees.  The Nefarma's action comes in the wake of a report published in early  April by the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD), which  showed a rise in the number of animal rights actions.

Rise in ARE incidents in 2009

Michel Dutree, the Nefarma's director, noted that the UK had  successfully tackled the problem by imposing prison sentences on the  extremists found guilty of commiting terrorist actions. Since 2003, the  number of "home visits" in the UK has fallen from 259 to 10 last year.  By contrast, the AIVD found that, in the final quarter of 2008, the  number of ARE incidents was 15, but has risen sharply in the first three  months of 2009, to 23.