Vote to help animals in the 2017 Election!

Is your favourite political party against animal testing? Would they be supportive of policy changes to help bring an end to animal experimentation and create a better world for both humans and animals?  You can find out via the table below!

The following questions were asked to all political parties in New Zealand:

1. Would your party support a ban on the importation and sale of cosmetics that have been tested on animals?

It is now illegal to test cosmetics on animals in New Zealand. However, we are still able to import and sell cosmetics in NZ that have been tested on animals. To be genuinely cruelty-free we need to stop supporting the testing of cosmetics on animals altogether.

A sales and import ban is already in place in the European Union, India, Norway, and Israel. Other countries such as Australia and Canada are currently considering this type of ban.

2. Would your party support the use of non-animal based methods being mandatory, where they exist & are validated?

For many animal tests, there are already validated non-animal tests that could be used instead. 

Currently, NZ law does not require people using animals for science to use non-animal based tests, instead of animal tests where they exist and are validated. 

A requirement similar to this has existed in the EU since 1986. The following statement is in the Official Journal of the European Union (where the EU publishes its laws):

“Animals should always be treated as sentient creatures and their use in procedures should be restricted to areas which may ultimately benefit human or animal health, or the environment. The use of animals for scientific or educational purposes should therefore only be considered where a non-animal alternative is unavailable.”

There are laws/regulations that encourage the use of animal testing alternatives in many different places around the world.