10 Million Animals Will Be Saved From Lab Testing if This Law is Passed

The European Union is set to save nearly 10 million animals from lab testing with an unprecedented bill that will reduce animal exploitation across the continent. This week, the European Parliament pushed forward a resolution that requests the European Commission to develop an Action Plan to phase out animal involvement in laboratory testing. Although some EU member states have already enacted similar policies, the overarching proposal will accelerate the process across all participating countries.

The forthcoming action plan intends to set milestones for countries to begin reducing animal testing, incorporating incentives for the industry companies to alter their practices. The resolution promotes the introduction of human-relevant methods that minimize animal cruelty and provide results far more applicable to human use. Beyond that, the new bill will promote more efficient technologies to move the entire continent away from out-of-date methods.

The resolution currently has support from 100 organizations across 24 EU member states. Some organizations include PETA, Cruelty-Free Europe, and Humane Society International Europe. The European Parliament vote is not a legally binding action, but it puts pressure on the European Commission to take action in implementing proposals and regulations.

“This vote signals the need for systemic change in the EU’s approach to safety science and health research, with Parliament embracing a historic opportunity to take animal suffering out of the equation and shift the focus to modern, human-relevant technologies,” Humane Society International Vice President for Research and Toxicology Troy Seidle said.

Across several industries, the new resolution will remove the unnecessary involvement of animals. The HSI plans to help the European Union develop new and more effective methods to replace animal-testing operations.

“If our goal isn’t to cure cancer in mice or prevent birth defects in rabbits, we need to let go of the unfounded belief that these animals are miniature people and get serious about understanding and predicting human biology in the real world,” Seidle said. “Human organ chips, stem cell models, and next-generation computing allow us to do exactly that, and can deliver considerable benefits in the study of uniquely human diseases and the assessment of potential new medicines and chemical safety generally.”

The European Union has been inching towards this resolution for several years, introducing anti-testing policies and regulations starting in 2004. More recently, the EU adjusted its cosmetic testing ban by prohibiting the sale of any cosmetics tested on animals in 2013. The innovative regulations set a precedent for the entire world by changing the way the sale and import of cosmetic products are imported and distributed.

Earlier this month, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) recently challenged the ban ahead of the new European Parliament revolution. The ECHA recently launched a campaign to push for animal testing to be reinstated across the EU, presenting a major continentwide setback. Following the countercampaign, the European Citizens’ Initiative released a petition entitled Save Cruelty-Free Cosmetic–Commit to a Europe Without Animal Testing. The petition currently has more than 120,000 signatures.

Several cosmetic giants including Unilever – the parent company of Dove, St. Ives, TRESemme – have started developing new methods of production that omit animal testing. The beauty company has been fighting for regulatory and industry changes for more than 40 years, working towards a manufacturing line that removes animal testing altogether.

“There is no reason to test cosmetics products, or the ingredients used in them, on animals. The ECHA’s proposals pose a significant threat to the progress our industry has made towards ending animal testing for assuring the safety of cosmetics and other consumer products,” Head of Unilever’s Safety & Environmental Assurance Center Julia Fentem said. “If these proposals go ahead, hundreds of thousands of animals could be subjected to unnecessary tests, when innovative non-animal approaches based on leading-edge science and technology offer reliable alternatives to animal testing. We say use science, not animals."

Seven-time Grammy Award winner Carrie Underwood has been hailed for her “enormous” vocal range. When it comes to her diet, Underwood’s a fan of breakfast burritos and lots of tofu. She doesn’t shy away from the carbs, either. According to Cheat Sheet, one of her favorite snacks is a toasted English muffin with peanut butter.

Singer, songwriter, and “The Voice” coach, Blake Shelton, 43, has been working to stay fit recently with help from his long-time love, Gwen Stefani, who is a vegetarian and told him to get off the meat if he wants to feel fitter and lose some weight. Shelton has been trying to keep up with Stefani's impressive fitness level, according to an interview Stefani gave this fall. The former No Doubt singer and Hollaback girl is a longtime vegetarian, eats a mostly vegan diet, and is super fit-- and at 50, looks younger than her years. A source told Gossipcop, “Gwen’s told him the way to lose it is to stay the hell away from meat and bad carbs.” We're rooting for him!

The best-selling female country music singer in history isn’t buying any expensive steak dinners after a performance. The “Queen of Country Pop” has sold more than 100 million records but says she keeps her meat-free diet simple. She is both vegetarian and eats very little dairy -- though at times has said she does eat eggs.

Americana singer and songwriter Annette Conlon is also a passionate vegan. She started “The Compassionette Tour,” in an effort to bring compassion, social consciousness, human interaction, and animal issues to a mainstream audience.

The Man in Black is synonymous with country music, even nearly two decades after his death (1932-2003), probably in part because of the biopic about his life starring vegan actor Joaquin Phoenix. Ask any die-hard country music fan (or your dad, for that matter) and they will tell you that Johnny Cash was one of the best-selling musicians of all-time. His scores of hits include “I Walk the Line” and "Hurt" "A Boy Named Sue" and dozens of others. Cash himself was believed to have lived meat-free later in life to help combat some health issues. At Johnny Cash’s Kitchen and Saloon in Nashville, you can also load up on the meat-free dishes as the restaurant boasts a fully stacked veggie menu that includes greens, sweet potato mash, and fried okra.