UK Resumes Bunny Torture

The UK government has allowed animal testing for makeup ingredients to resume despite a ban that’s been in place since 1998. The High Court ruled last week that the Home Office acted legally when it lifted its ban to align with EU chemical rules.

“We are pleased that the High Court has agreed with the Government's position in this case,” a Home Office spokesperson told the BBC. “The government is committed to the protection of animals in science.”

The ostensible rationale for lifting the ban is to bring the UK in line with European regs. In 2020 the EU agency that oversees chemical regulation, the European Chemicals Agency, ruled that companies could test some cosmetics ingredients on animals to ensure they were safe for the workers manufacturing the ingredients. 

It is unclear whether the idea is to give UK workers the same protections as those on the continent or to level the playing field for British-based cosmetics manufacturers. (Either way it’s an odd application of policy for a Brexited Britain.)

Cruelty Free International, which brought the case before the High Court in the first place, was not pleased. The animal-advocate group’s CEO Michelle Thew said, “The case shows clearly that [the government] was prioritizing the interests of contract-testing companies over those of animals and the wishes of the vast majority of British people who are strongly opposed to cosmetics testing.”

The ruling is especially vexing since the UK has made great progress in safely testing new products without subjecting animals to tortuous lab work. The US is slowly plodding toward a more enlightened policy, with ten states having banned animal testing. New York banned bunny torture this January.

Photo credit: Unilever