happy-cat

At the stroke of midnight, humans ringing in the new year won’t be the only animals celebrating. With a new law in Israel banning the sale of  cosmetics and cleaning materials tested on animals, you can bet there will be some very happy mice, dogs and cats out there.

The Israeli law was originally passed in 2010, but is slated to go into effect on January 1st, 2013. For animal rights activists, this is a huge victory. Said Knesset member Eitan Cabel, “This law is a genuine revolution in the field of animal rights in Israel.” While products won’t be immediately removed from the shelves (it would unfairly punish retailers who already purchased products from the distributors), all imports of cosmetics and cleaning materials must receive a permit from Israel’s health ministry, meaning they have the power to stop brands from coming into Israel that are known to be tested on animals. Somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 animals are usually used for testing for just a single cosmetic brand, according to the authors of the bill.

It’s important to note that Israel has already had a ban on animal testing within its borders since 2007, but this law goes one step further to focus on imports from countries that do not have such laws. Already there are several Israeli companies that pride themselves on being completely free from animal abuse, including the suitably named Careline.

Thanks to Haaretz for this story.

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