Netball star Irene Van Dyk is the latest celebrity to show her support for the New Zealand arm of the #BeCrueltyFree campaign, run by Humane Society International, the New Zealand Anti-Vivisection Society and Helping You Help Animals (HUHA).
Van Dyk, who played netball for New Zealand for 14 years before retiring in June 2014, has urged the New Zealand Government to ban cosmetics testing on animals in the country through a revision of the Animal Welfare Act.
“Animals can’t speak up for themselves, so I’m proud to use my voice on their behalf,” said Van Dyk. “Rabbits, guinea pigs and other defenceless creatures endure terrible eye, skin and oral poisoning tests for our vanity products, and it’s time we said enough is enough. The #BeCrueltyFree campaign is achieving amazing things around the world, with cosmetics cruelty outlawed in 31 countries so far. But it’s still legal here in New Zealand and I for one think that’s unacceptable. So I’m urging our government to score a goal for animals, do the right thing and ban cosmetics animal testing so that New Zealand can #BeCrueltyFree too.”
Carolyn Press-McKenzie, spokesperson for HUHA, said: “We already have strong support from the Green Party and Labour, but the Government is lagging behind and really needs to pay attention to the public mood on this issue. As well as those countries that have already banned cosmetics animal testing, there are Bills under consideration in Australia, Brazil, Taiwan and the United States, so New Zealand needs to get with the programme and outlaw animal testing for cosmetics. It’s cruel, scientifically out-dated and completely unnecessary as hundreds of cruelty-free companies already make beauty products without harming any animals at all.”
