11 March 2013

Time to cut cruel animal testing

New Zealand should celebrate the end of cosmetic animal testing in Europe by making the same promise in our own country, the Green Party said today.

Today the final phase of the European Union (EU) Cosmetics Directive comes into force, meaning that no new cosmetic products and ingredients on sale in the EU can be tested on animals anywhere in the world.

“Animal testing of cosmetics is both cruel and unnecessary, and is fast becoming extinct,” said Green Party animal welfare spokesperson Mojo Mathers.

“New Zealanders, like Europeans, want to see the end of animal testing for recreational and cosmetic products, that’s why the public were so alarmed with proposals to test party pills on dogs,” said Ms Mathers.

“There are modern, smart alternatives to using animal testing, and we need to embrace these.

“The rest of the world is looking to New Zealand to see how we regulate party pills; we need to show real leadership in making cruel and unnecessary animal testing a thing of the past.

“A country such as New Zealand that prides itself on taking care of our animals needs to seriously address animal testing and only use it when absolutely necessary, after all other options have been exhausted.

“By ruling out animal testing for cosmetics and recreational drugs we would show we really care about animal welfare,” said Ms Mathers.

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On Failures Of Care For Those With Mental Disabilities

Hard to imagine a more disturbing insight into the treatment of the vulnerable than the Health Ministry report on Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. The Ministry has found that the country’s only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider has been “seriously dysfunctional.”

The ministry says the business has failed to recruit and retain quality staff – and says the kaimahi (caregivers) that have been employed are seriously unsuitable for the job, lacking basic knowledge. But Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau doesn’t get all the blame. The report says there’s a significant gap under disability laws to ensure there’s oversight by qualified clinical professionals. More>>