Anti-Cruelty Campaigners Hold Global Protest Against P&G's Animal Tests
Activists Expose False Research Claims & Urge Customers 'Don't Buy The Lie'

MILL VALLEY, Calif. – On Saturday May 24, 2003, anti-cruelty activists around the globe will take part in the 7th annual Global Boycott Procter & Gamble (P&G) Day - organized in the United States by In Defense of Animals and in the UK by Uncaged Campaigns - to protest the trans-national company’s cruel animal testing policies.

The worldwide campaign against unnecessary, cruel and lethal tests performed on monkeys, cats, dogs and other animals by P&G in the development of ‘consumer’ products highlight P&G’s continued use of animal tests for cosmetics even though such tests are not required by US law and even banned in the UK.
An internal memo leaked to the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (reported in London’s The Independent, April 11, 2002) revealed how P&G secretly lobbied the European Union to stall a popular proposal for a European-wide ban on testing cosmetics and toiletries on animals. The memo went on to explain that knowledge of their lobbying efforts for animal tests should be kept secret and that "it was important that we were successful in keeping P&G out of the media spotlight. It would be damaging to be seen as the company lobbying to test on animals, against public opinion." P&G aimed to get around the UK ban by conducting unpopular animal tests outside the UK.

P&G’s ‘pet’ food subsidiary, IAMS/Eukanuba, was recently exposed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals for subjecting dogs to cruel ‘pet’ food research – where muscles were hacked out of the legs of living animals. The story shocked consumer advocates and animal activists around the world. Just as disturbing, the animals used in the experiments were kept in deplorable conditions.

“Behind the splashy marketing of popular products like Crest toothpaste, IAMS/Eukanuba ‘pet’ food and Head & Shoulders shampoo is a company that continues to subject animals to untold suffering for the sake of “whiter whites” and “younger-looking skin” – while at the same time attempting to trying to sanitize their campaign to continue unpopular and cruel animal tests,” said Lawrence Carter-Long, Issues Specialist for In Defense of Animals. “Once people become aware, they want nothing to do with corporate cruelty to animals. It is illegal to test consumer goods on animals in the UK and Americans don’t want P&G exporting its cruel animal tests to the United States. In a global economy, purchase equals support. People who buy P&G products might as well be killing animals themselves.”

For more information, go to: http://www.pandgkills.com or call: 415.388.9641

# # #

In Defense of Animals, located in Mill Valley, CA, is a national, animal protection organization dedicated to ending the abuse and exploitation of animals by protecting their rights and welfare.