Manchester Airport; Include the Endangered Conservation Status of the Long-Tailed Macaque in your CSR Strategy. 

For the attention of Ken O'Toole, Manchester Airport CEO. 

This petition is to demonstrate the strength of public support for Manchester Airport to add the Endangered conservation status of the primate species - the long-tailed macaques - to the airport’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy and strategy. 

With a growing awareness of the importance of wildlife, biodiversity and the environment, companies are adopting CSR strategies that align business operations with ethical, environmental, and social goals. 
We urge Manchester Airport to adopt such a strategy. 

Why it is important. 

Manchester Airport has been a port of entry for imported long-tailed macaques destined for UK laboratories for decades.
The global exploitation of this species of primate by the animal testing industry has been partly to blame for driving them from a Vulnerable to Endangered status, as designated by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2022; a critical inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of species. 

Also in 2022, Air France announced that, in line with its CSR strategy, it had made the decision to stop the transport of primates. At the time, Air France was a major transporter of primates for laboratories.
https://x.com/i/status/1542490334009204744
 
Air France is not alone. Nearly all major airlines now refuses to transport primates destined for research and testing. Many seeing it as a violation of their animal welfare policies.
 
The trade in primates for laboratories is a brutal one. Welfare incidents involving long-tailed macaques transported into Manchester Airport have been reported: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/monkeys-import-lab-animal-tests-blood-b2652835.html
 
This is an inhumane and unacceptable way to treat these sentient, intelligent and complex animals. Instead, Manchester Airport should be doing all they can to protect these Endangered primates.
This is also a human issue too. In 2023, ground handling staff expressed their distress and upset to Manchester Mill reporters at having to unload crates containing long-tailed macaques at Manchester Airport.
Some staff had complained to their Union, only to have their complaints ignored.
This is also unacceptable.
https://manchestermill.co.uk/the-secret-flights-manchester-animal-testing/ 

With major airlines playing their part, Manchester Airport now has a significant opportunity to set an example for airports globally by integrating specific wildlife conservation efforts into its corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy to help the long-tailed macaque, a species that is facing a significant risk of extinction. 

A concerted effort from Manchester Airport could bring about lasting change and would reflect positively on the airport as a forward-thinking leader in environmental sustainability. It would not only bolster the airport’s reputation but would also play a significant part in ensuring a diverse and thriving planet. 

We call on Manchester Airport to end their involvement in such a controversial and cruel trade, and instead help to protect the long-tailed macaque by including its Endangered status in their CSR strategy. 

Signed 
 
Jane Smith, Animal Welfare Party. 

Hannah Bell, Cheshire Animal Rights Campaigns.

Sarah Kite, Action for Primates.