AR-News: (UK) Opinion poll/ ban on animal testing for household cleaning p roducts

[AR-News]

> New opinion poll for National Cruelty-Free Week reveals massive public
> support for ban on animal testing of household cleaning products 
> 
> A new opinion poll reveals that UK consumers (particularly women) want to
> take the cruelty out of cleaning. The opinion poll(i) was commissioned by
> animal protection group the BUAV to mark National Cruelty-Free Week (5-11
> July)(ii) and conducted by Opinion Research Business (ORB). It reveals
> that a massive 78% of the British public (82% of women) support a UK ban
> on animal testing for household cleaning products like washing up liquid
> or carpet shampoo. 
> 
> National Cruelty-Free Week aims to raise public awareness that animal
> testing for beauty and household cleaning products still goes on, and
> encourages shoppers to ditch their animal tested products and go
> cruelty-free instead.
> 
> The new poll also reveals that UK shoppers are eager to ditch traditional
> cleaning brands in favour of 'cruelty-free' alternatives, and are keen for
> more supermarkets to produce own-brand cleaning products approved as 'not
> tested on animals' by animal campaigners the British Union for the
> Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV). 80% of those asked would be more likely
> to swap to a brand approved by the animal group.
> 
> *	79% of UK shoppers (83% of women) say they would be likely to swap
> to a brand that was not animal tested if they discovered their existing
> brand was tested on animals 
> *	86% of the British public would support their local grocery store
> introducing a range of household products not tested on animals  
> *	80% of those questioned (85% of women) said that if they wanted a
> household product that was not tested on animals, they would be more
> likely to buy it if it was approved by the BUAV as cruelty-free. 
> 
> In the UK household product tests are carried out on animals like mice,
> rats, guinea-pigs, rabbits, pigs, fish and birds. Dogs can also be
> subjected to this cruelty. In the UK in 2002(iii) there was a shameful 75%
> increase in animal experiments for household products and ingredients. A
> staggering 1,032 poisoning experiments were conducted; such experiments
> not only cause immense suffering, they are also crude and unscientific.
> 
> The BUAV's Dirty Secrets campaigns calls for a total UK ban on animal
> testing for household products. Over 100 MPs already have signed an Early
> Day Motion calling for a total UK ban on household product testing on
> animals (EDM: 738) showing there is political support for the Government
> to take swift action.
> 
> The BUAV's campaign also urges consumers to boycott animal cruelty by only
> buying cruelty-free brands approved by the organisation's international
> Humane Household Products Standard(iv). The BUAV produces a handy
> pocket-sized Little Book of Cruelty-Free listing all BUAV approved
> companies, and approved companies can distinguish themselves by carrying
> the schemes 'leaping bunny' logo, making shopping with a conscience even
> easier. 
> 
> Wendy Higgins, the BUAV's Campaigns Director, says:
> "Ethical consumers are bombarded with often misleading animal testing
> statements from companies, and so they rely on the BUAV to make sense of
> it all. Our poll demonstrates that the British public, and particularly
> British women, are becoming increasingly angry that products like carpet
> shampoo or toilet cleaner continue to be tested on animals in this
> country, when testing for products like beauty shampoo or make-up was
> banned some years ago. The Government appears to have a policy of
> hypocrisy and it's time that animals stopped dying so that we can have yet
> more trivial cleaning products." 
> 
> The BUAV's 'Dirty Secrets' campaign to end all household products testing
> on animals, is backed by Sir Paul McCartney who says "I've cleaned my
> house of animal tested products - won't you do the same? Together let's
> tell the white-coated men we want clean products and a clean conscience!"
> Sir Paul's quote is a reference to an anti-vivisection song called "The
> white-coated man" from his late wife Linda's album, 'Wide Prairie'. 
> 
> 
> 
> i. The research was conducted from June 4th-6th 2004 as an omnibus survey,
> using a nationally representative sample of 1004 adults.   
> ii. The BUAV's National Cruelty-Free Week aims to raise consumer awareness
> about animal testing and urges them to 'go cruelty'free' by ditching
> animal testing and trying BUAV approved cruelty-free brands instead. 
> iii. Home Office Statistics of animals in scientific procedures 2002,
> published 2003.
> iv. The Little Book of Cruelty-Free lists over 200 approved companies.
> Approved household products available in the UK are: Faith Products Ltd:
> (Brand: Clear Spring) range includes products for the dishwasher, washing
> up liquids, window cleaner, liquid detergent and polishes, available in
> health stores and mail order. Telephone: 0161 764 2555 or via
> www.faithinnature.co.uk; The Laundry is producing a range of washing up
> and laundry liquids, email linens at thelaundry.co.uk or call 020 7274 3838;
> The Co-op: (Own-label household products range); the Co-op's own-label
> household products range includes washing up liquid, washing powder, and
> polishes & cleaners. The Co-op has 1,600+ outlets across the UK, contact:
> 0800 0686727 or visit www.co-op.co.uk; The Oil Refining Company (Brand:
> Astonish) manufactures a range of household products from upholstery
> cleaner to bathroom cleaners, available: Sainsburys; Morrisons; John
> Lewis,  Kleeneze catalogue and other major retailers, Customer enquiries:
> 0113 2360036, Website: www.astonishcleaners.com; Jason Cosmetics (Brand:
> Heather's Natural and Organic Cleaning Products) manufacture bath and tile
> cleaners, window cleaner, all purpose soap, available: Health food stores
> (limited availability); mail order from the UK distributor on 020 7435
> 5911; Aubrey Organics (Brand: Aubrey Organics) manufactures two household
> cleansers, available: Via the website www.aubrey-organics.com
> 
> 
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