Paul Rowen, MP for Rochdale has launched a Cruelty-Free office

Monday, 25 January 2010 12:00 AM

The MP for Rochdale, Paul Rowen, can now proudly declare that his constituency office is cruelty-free. Paul Rowen has taken the step to ensure that all the cleaning products used are genuinely cruelty-free, only using those approved under the BUAV's humane standard.

Paul Rowen has joined forces with the BUAV to Clean Up Cruelty; supporting the campaign to end animal testing for household products and their ingredients.

Michelle Thew, Chief Executive of the BUAV, said: "It's fantastic that Paul is supporting our campaign and putting Rochdale on the cruelty-free map. I call on all politicians to follow his lead and sign up to this important campaign."

Paul Rowen, MP said: "This is an important issue and by making my constituency office cruelty free I'd like to bring animal testing on household products into the spotlight. Offices and homes across Rochdale can make a stand against this unnecessary practice by making sure their products are free from animal testing. I urge the government to introduce a ban on the testing of household products."

81% of the public said they would support a ban[1] on the testing of household products on animals, though many ingredients in UK household products have been, and can continue to be, tested on animals.

In 1997 the Government decided to stop granting licences for cosmetics tests on animals, because the suffering caused was not justified given the trivial nature of the products tested. There is, however, no such prohibition for household products, despite clear public support and very similar arguments.

For more information please contact Jenny Gowen 020 700 4888 or email pressenquiries@buav.org . For a list of BUAV approved products please visit www.gocrueltyfree.org

ENDS

Notes:
(1) The Rochdale MP was presented with a certificate by BUAV senior parliamentary adviser, Jenny Gowen on Friday 22nd January 2010.

(2) The BUAV (British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection) has been campaigning for over 100 years to achieve a world where nobody wants or believes we need to experiment on animals. We are committed to achieving our aims through reliable and reasoned evidence-based debate

(3) The BUAV's Humane Cosmetics and Household Products Standard is recognisable by the Leaping Bunny logo, an internationally recognised and patented cruelty-free certification. Approved companies must open up their supply chain to a robust but straightforward audit. The process ensures that neither the product nor, crucially, any of its ingredients have been tested on animals at any stage of the manufacturing cycle since a fixed cut off date. For more information on the auditing process and a list of approved companies visit www.gocrueltyfree.org

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