Erie County Legislators Joe Lorigo and Frank Todaro introduced a resolution supporting state legislation that would ban the sale of cosmetics tested on animals from retailers in New York State. The resolution received unanimous support from the Legislature Thursday afternoon.

According to the United States Humane Society, it is estimated that 500,000 animals suffer and die each year because of cosmetic testing. This includes rabbits, guniea pigs, hamsters, rats, and mice. In the past year, similar legislation has passed in other U.S. states including California, Nevada, and Illinois. Legislator Lorigo and Todaro’s resolution supports bills that are currently in the New York State and Assembly.

Legislator Frank Todaro said, “Testing cosmetics on animals is simply inhumane and unnecessary. There are advanced methods to determine whether or not cosmetics are safe, and those methods should not be applied to an innocent animal. Other states have taken action against this mistreatment and we hope that New York State will follow suit.”

Legislator Joe Lorigo said, “There is no reason companies should be testing on animals, especially with the wide variety of methods available that are much more accurate and do not involve hurting an animal. Animal testing is known to cause a significant amount of pain and distress. This practice needs to end, and I am hopeful our legislators at the state level will agree.”

A copy of the resolution can be viewed here.