We recently asked for your help to take part in a legal case to stop up to 800 animals being subjected to painful and unnecessary testing.

Under the EU’s chemical testing programme REACH, European decision makers had ordered chemical company BASF to test a cosmetic ingredient used in face creams and body lotions on rabbits or rats.

The cruel test involves force-feeding the chemical substance to pregnant female rabbits or rats using tubes forced down the animals’ throats into their stomachs every day for 15 days or longer. The day before they are due to give birth, the mothers would be killed and the babies would be cut from their wombs for examination before being also killed.

Thanks to your generous donations we were able to stop BASF’s appeal against the decision at the European Chemicals Agency in Helsinki. Our lawyers provided legal advice that helped persuade the Board of Appeal that the Agency had failed to consider that the chemical was used for cosmetic purposes. Your kind support has for the moment helped BASF from having to carry out this cruel research and prevented up to 800 animals from suffering and dying in this nasty experiment.

Dr Katy Taylor, Director of Science and Regulatory Affairs, said: “We are encouraged that the Board of Appeal has accepted key legal arguments we put forward and ordered the Agency to think again. Although the case isn’t yet over, your support will help us continue to fight to protect these animals.”

Our expert scientists and legal team have successfully stopped the European Chemicals Agency from trying to force companies to test their chemicals on animals. To date, your kind support has now help to save over 6,000 animals from cruel chemicals tests like these.