New Zealand’s Drop in Animal Testing Welcome, But #BeCrueltyFree Campaigners Renew Call for Cosmetics Cruelty Ban

WELLINGTON (10 Oct 2014) New Zealand’s #BeCrueltyFree campaigners have today welcomed the decline in the number of live animals used for research and testing in the country, but renewed their call for a national ban on animal testing for cosmetics and the sale of cosmetics newly tested on animals abroad. It is illogical for New Zealand to still allow rabbits and rodents to be subjected to painful eye, skin and oral poisoning tests for new lipsticks and shampoo while the country has succeeded in achieving the lowest level of animal experiments in 17 years, say #BeCrueltyFree New Zealand.

The statistics revealed by the National Animal Ethics Advisory Committee annual report show that 224,048 animals were used in research and testing in New Zealand in 2013, a decrease of 25.9 per cent on 2012. While it is often assumed that animal testing for cosmetics no longer takes place in New Zealand, there is no evidence to support this, and such testing remains legal. This puts New Zealand behind the European Union, Israel and India, where cosmetics animal testing has been banned by law.

Stephen Manson for #BeCrueltyFree New Zealand, said: “Animal testing is both cruel and scientifically questionable, so it is great to see a decline in these outdated methods in New Zealand. However, at the same time as we’re seeing such laudable progress in replacing animal tests with state-of-the-art alternatives, it makes no sense for animal testing for cosmetics to still be legal in our country. A 17-year low in laboratory animal use demonstrates that New Zealand has the potential to modernise its science base, so it’s crazy that when it comes to banning something as morally indefensible as animal testing for beauty products, New Zealand lags behind many other countries. It’s time for our politicians to act, it’s time for New Zealand to #BeCrueltyFree.”

Political support for a New Zealand ban has been growing. In March, Green MP Mojo Mathers proposed introduction of a cosmetics animal testing ban as part of amendments to the Animal Welfare Act, and Labour has also pledged support for a ban. #BeCrueltyFreecampaigners are determined to see the issue debated when post-election Parliament reconvenes in November.

#BeCrueltyFree New Zealand is headed by Humane Society International, the New Zealand Anti-Vivisection Society and Helping You Help Animals (HUHA), part of the largest campaign in the world to end cosmetics cruelty. Globally, #BeCrueltyFree campaigns are leading policy change across Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Russia, Taiwan and the United States.

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