2023-04-22 07:29:40
If there’s one way to make animals suffer unnecessarily that doesn’t even have the support of the public, it’s testing cosmetics on animals.
declares in an interview Valéry Giroux, doctor of philosophy and deputy director of the Research Group in Environmental and Animal Ethics.
When it tabled its budget in March, the federal government indicated that it intended to ban the testing of cosmetics on animals. A new step was taken a few days ago, with the publication of the planned amendments to the Food and Drugs Act (New window).
In addition to testing, Ottawa intends to ban the sale of cosmetics that rely on new animal testing data to establish product safety, as well as false or misleading labeling regarding cosmetic testing on animals.
However, exceptions are provided. The ban does not apply if the data is taken from trials conducted before the ban or if the cosmetic was sold in Canada before that date.
These measures are due to come into force six months after the law receives Royal Assent, expected this spring. In the meantime, amendments could modify the text.
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Ottawa’s commitment has been praised by animal rights groups, including the Animal Alliance of Canada and Humane Society International, who have worked alongside the government. To the SPCA of Montreal, we also applaud this big win for animals
.
« It is high time for Canada to follow in the footsteps of the forty countries that have already legislated in this area. It is hoped that the ban will be adopted quickly. »
Norway, Guatemala and all member countries of the European Union already prohibit the testing of cosmetics on animals. In the United States, New York State in December became the tenth legislature to ban such tests. THE Humane Cosmetics Act (New window)which would ban cosmetics nationwide, is still before Congress.
According to the experts consulted, the cosmetics industry conducts tests on animals to check whether their product or an ingredient is not toxic, irritating or harmful to humans. To do this, we mainly use mice, rats and rabbits.
The SPCA of Montreal has long denounced the cruelty
of these tests, in particular when they consist, for example, in applying a cream to the shaved skin of an animal or directly in its eyes, for several days, without anesthesia.
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Unlike some medical research on animals which are very useful and necessary
cosmetic trials are not, judges Dr. Caroline Kilsdonk, a veterinarian specializing in bioethics.
The safety of thousands of ingredients is already known, and if a company wishes to innovate, alternative methods have been developed to assess the safety of new compounds.
she explains, such as the use of cells grown in the laboratory or the use of tests in vitro.
All the more so, she adds, since the laboratories in the country where these tests are carried out are not required to be accredited by the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC), which suggests, in the opinion from the specialist, variable geometry conditions for the animals.
As far as I know, there is no longer a company in Canada that performs these tests, at least not one of our members
comments for his part the President and CEO of the Alliance of the cosmetic industry of Canada, Darren Praznik.
The one whose group represents more than 150 companies in the sector, including L’Oréal Canada, Marcelle and Mary Kay, says that it is above all a symbolic ban. It’s been over for several years, but legally, we were late. We needed a strong text. It’s now done.
Praznik now hopes that legislation updating the Canadian Environmental Protection Act — which calls for a reduction in animal testing across all industries — will also go ahead.
The practice of cosmetic animal testing has declined significantly worldwide and is rarely practiced in Canada
specifies for its part Health Canada.
According to data from CCPA (New window), just under 3.7 million animals were used for scientific purposes in 2021, mostly mice, fish and birds. The majority of these trials (57%) took place within the framework of so-called fundamental
for example to study the migratory movements of an endangered bird species.
The CCPA does not detail the percentage of tests concerning cosmetic products, but affirms that 4% of the tests identified were carried out with products for the safety of humans or animals, or the protection of the environment.
According to animal ethics researcher Valéry Giroux, banning the testing of cosmetics on animals is a first step, but we have to go much further
. Both the government and the public must question practices that inflict on animals unnecessary suffering or death
she says, pointing to raising animals to produce milk, eggs or meat.
In Canada, a bill to ban cosmetic testing on animals – in Canada, but also abroad for imported products – was tabled in 2015 by Senator Carolyn Stewart Olsen. After dragging on due to disagreements, it finally died on the soap opera in the fall of 2019, failing to pass before the election was called.
The Liberal Party made it a campaign pledge in the 2021 election.
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