United Kingdom Home Office
Press Release 452/98
16 November 1998
The Government has secured an end to the testing of cosmetic ingredients on animals, Home Office Minister George Howarth announced today.
Following consultation with industry, UK companies with authority to carry out such tests have agreed to voluntarily give up their existing licences. The Home Office will not issue any further licences. The move comes a year after the Government’s announcement of an end to the use of animals in the UK for the testing of finished cosmetics products.
Mr. Howarth said, “The Government has met its pledge to end cosmetic testing. Ongoing dialogue between the Government and the cosmetics industry has now secured a voluntary ban on all use of animals for the testing of cosmetics in the UK. Current legislation did not allow a revocation of the licences, and so a voluntary agreement was the most logical way forward. We are not intending to issue any further licences. These measures will further improve the operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.”
All applications for animal testing are dealt with on an individual basis and, before any tests can go ahead, the following criteria must be satisfied:
The vast majority of procedures are done for medical or biological research reasons.
George Howarth said, “Decisions to grant licences for any animal use are scrutinized rigorously and only taken after careful consideration. However, until alternative tests are available, animal testing is necessary to both ensure the safety of products and enable future advances in medicine.”
The move follows a range of initiatives by the Government since May 1997, including:
To:
Government Announces End to Cosmetic Testing on Animals
European Union (EU) Set to Take Welfare Stand on Foie Gras
[Foie gras is a traditional Christmas food,] but fattening the goose to make foie gras is harmful to the birds’ welfare, according to a report from EU animal health scientists.
“Force feeding as currently practiced is detrimental to the welfare of the birds,” says the report from the Scientific Committee on Animal Health. The study takes a jaundiced view of the practice of force-feeding ducks and geese through tubes twice daily in order to enlarge the bird’s liver by up to 10 times its normal size.
The European Commission is not obliged to take up the Committee’s advice, but it could choose to introduce legislation citing the report as support for a ban. Nevertheless, opposition from the three countries where foie gras is produced (France, Spain, and Belgium) to any proposed legislation could be immense.
The ‘Eurogroup for Animal Welfare’ on Tuesday welcomed the report, saying that the production system causes “unacceptable suffering.” But the organization’s director David Wilkins said that “because of the opposition of producing countries,” the formulation of a ban on the practice “will take time.” However, the scientists’ report describes a complete ban as an “extreme” solution.
To:
Government Announces End to Cosmetic Testing on Animals
European Union (EU) Set to Take Welfare Stand on Foie Gras
Go to:
Contents, Animal Welfare Information Center Bulletin
Top of Document
The Animal Welfare Information Center
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Research Service
National Agricultural Library
10301 Baltimore Ave.
Beltsville, MD 20705-2351
Phone: (301) 504-6212
FAX: (301) 504-7125
E-mail: awic@nal.usda.gov
