West of England Metro Mayor Dan Norris called in to Bath’s branch of The Body Shop – pioneers in championing cruelty-free products – to join calls on the government for a clear action plan to phase-out UK animal experiments.
The Labour Metro Mayor is asking West of England people who oppose animal cruelty to sign a petition to the UK government, which as so far secured over 80,000 signatures.
It calls on Ministers to ‘publish a clear and ambitious action plan with timetables and milestones to drive the phase-out of animal experiments’. It says that ‘as well as preventing animal suffering, this will benefit public health and business.’
If the petition gets the support of 100,000 people it will be debated in Parliament.
Dan Norris said: “Since the 1970s The Body Shop has trail-blazed as a pioneer, finding a different way to do business, and so many organisations continue to follow the lead it proudly took.
“We must not let the clock be turned back to an era when animal testing was par for the course.
“People who buy Body Shop products often do so because they care about animal welfare. I talked with shoppers and staff to get their views about what’s needed to end UK animal experiments, asking them to sign this petition.”
Separately, The Body Shop is currently encouraging citizens of the EU to join a EU campaign to uphold the long-standing European ban on animal testing. It follows recent threats by the European Chemicals Agency’s Board of Appeal, which requires certain ingredients to be tested on animals before they’re used by humans.