Bureau of Indian Standards Committee Decides to Remove Animal Tests From Requirements Following PETA India Campaign 

India has decided to end animal testing for household products after an extensive campaign by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, which included appeals from high-profile members of parliament as well as lengthy discussions with PETA India's scientist and support from scientists at PETA UK and PETA US. 

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) committee responsible for determining test requirements for household products, on which PETA India's scientist has an official seat, decided in a meeting on Wednesday to replace a skin sensitisation test – which is currently performed by rubbing harsh chemicals into guinea pigs' shaved skin – with a non-animal testing method, followed by a human skin patch test. This move will end all animal-poisoning test requirements for cleaners, detergents and other common household products in India. 

This move comes after India's decision last year – following PETA India's campaign – to end tests on animals for cosmetics and their ingredients by removing animal tests from the relevant BIS standard as well as after Israel's ban on tests on animals for cosmetics, household products and their ingredients. PETA India is now working to urge the Indian government to ban the sale of all cosmetics and household products tested on animals anywhere in the world. 

"This victory marks another important milestone in the global fight to end animal testing", says PETA UK's Mimi Bekhechi. "PETA and its international affiliates will continue to work hard towards the day when no animals are made to suffer for cosmetics, personal-care or household products anywhere in the world." 

More than 1,300 companies around the world have ended all animal tests in favour of effective, modern non-animal methods, but some countries still choose to require archaic, painful tests in which substances are dripped into animals' eyes, smeared onto their abraded skin and forced down their throats.

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