MEXICO CITY – Humane Society International/Mexico applauds the Congress of Sinaloa for unanimously approving an initiative that bans bullfighting in the state, classifying it as animal cruelty.
Sinaloa now becomes the fifth state in Mexico to ban bullfighting after Sonora, Guerrero, Coahuila and Quintana Roo. The ban will see an end to the annual bullfights in Mazatlán city, the only town in Sinaloa to still hold bullfights. Bullfighting still takes place in 27 states, resulting in the killing of thousands of bulls each year despite considerable public opposition. According to a 2013 survey by leading Mexican polling agency Parametria, 73% of Mexicans support a nationwide ban on bullfighting.
Felipe Marquez, animal cruelty program manager for HSI/Mexico, said: “This is an important reform in Mexico because it reflects the views and sentiments of the majority of Mexican citizens who believe that bullfighting should be banned. We cannot hope to tackle violence in our society if we still allow animals to be stabbed to death for our entertainment.”
The initiative states that bullfighting infringes the rights of Mexican society which is interested in the care of and respect for animals, as well as a healthy environment, recognized in Article 4 of the Constitution.
The Congress of Sinaloa expanded the scope of the Animal Welfare Law, the Environmental Law for Sustainable Development as well as the Penal Code, to include a ban on bullfighting, better protect wild animals and increase fines up to $1,000 US for acts of animal cruelty
HSI’s star-studded film Save Ralph propels bill to victory
Humane Society International / Mexico
HSI
MEXICO CITY—Mexico’s Senate today gave its final and unanimous support to a federal bill to ban animal testing for cosmetics, making it the first country in North America and the 41st country globally to do so. The new law also bans the manufacture, import and marketing of cosmetics tested on animals elsewhere in the world. Humane Society International/Mexico and ONG Te Protejo whose multi-year #BeCrueltyFree Mexico campaign championed the bill, welcomed the ban jointly stating, “We are thrilled to see Mexico become the first country in North America to outlaw cosmetic animal testing, and commend our bill sponsor Senator Ricardo Monreal, and all congressmen and women for voting to end cosmetic animal testing in Mexico.”
Antón Aguilar, executive director of Humane Society International/Mexico, said: “We thank the Mexican Government for showing leadership on this important issue, and we will continue to work with them to implement the commitments and enforce a robust ban. This is a monumental step forward for animals, consumers and science in Mexico, and this ground-breaking legislation leads the way for the Americas to become the next cruelty-free beauty market, and brings us one bunny-leap closer to a global ban.”
Legislative momentum in Mexico was strongly influenced by HSI’s stop-motion animated film Save Ralph, the heartbreaking story of a rabbit “tester,” who was brought to life by a star-studded multinational and multilingual cast. The HSI film went viral worldwide, with more than 150 million social media views, over 730 million tags on TikTok, and generating more than 1.3 million petition signatures in Mexico.
Actress and advocate Rosario Dawson, who voiced Bonnie in the Spanish version of the Save Ralph film, added: “I was delighted to lend my voice to Humane Society International’s campaign to abolish animal testing for cosmetics, and could not be more proud to see the impact of #SaveRalph in leading Mexico to become the first country in North America to go cosmetics cruelty-free.”
The bill is also embraced by Lush, Unilever, P&G, L’Oréal, Avon and others in the beauty industry, who are working with HSI globally through the Animal-Free Safety Assessment (AFSA) toward policy alignment, and training measures to support smaller companies and government authorities in transitioning from animal testing to state-of-the-art non-animal methods, which are readily available and better at assuring human safety than the animal tests they replace.
With the addition of Mexico, animal testing for cosmetics is officially already banned in 41 countries, as well as 10 states in Brazil and seven in the United States. Three other U.S. states—New Jersey, Rhode Island and New York—are currently considering similar bills, and federal bills are pending reintroduction in both the U.S. and Canada.
MEXICO CITY—Café Toscano, a cafeteria restaurant with four locations in Mexico (Roma, Condesa, Lomas and Polanco) has committed to exclusively obtaining eggs from cage-free hens throughout its supply chain during the year 2021.
With this announcement, Café Toscano will make a positive impact on the lives of around 18,000 hens annually and joins the growing list of more than 200 companies around the world, including Bimbo, Barilla, and McDonald’s, that have pledged to include only cage-free eggs in their supply chains.
For her part, Alejandra Toscano, owner of Café Toscano, said: “Our commitment to consumers has led us to choose high-quality products and that includes high standards of animal welfare. We will undoubtedly continue to advance on this issue, for the integral well-being of people and animals.”
Arianna Torres, from the Humane Society International in Mexico, said: “We congratulate Café Toscano restaurant for adopting this important commitment to improve the welfare of farm animals by providing these sentient beings with enough room to spread their wings.”
More and more companies are adopting responsible consumption policies, and HSI will continue working with Café Toscano and other companies to enhance the welfare of farm animals in their supply chains.
This commitment improves the lives of tens of thousands of laying hens in Mexico. The country’s conventional industrial egg production systems often confine chickens in tiny cages made of wire, so small that the birds cannot even fully stretch their wings. Common sense and science agree that restricting the freedom of animals for virtually their entire lives causes significant deprivation and frustration.
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Media Contact: Arianna Torres: atorres@hsi.org
One step left until Mexico is cosmetics cruelty-free
Humane Society International / Mexico
HSIRalph, spokes-bunny for HSI’s global campaign to ban cosmetic testing on animals
MEXICO CITY—Humane Society International has welcomed a move by Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies to outlaw animal testing for cosmetics, as well as the import or sale of beauty products developed with reliance on new animal testing carried out anywhere in the world after the law comes into force. The bill has now passed both legislative chambers, reaching the 90% mark in the process to becoming law. Public interest to end cosmetic animal testing in Mexico sparked 1.2 million signatures in support of a ban, within weeks of the #SaveRalph launch.
Antón Aguilar, executive director of Humane Society International/Mexico, said: “We commend Congresswoman Miroslava Sánchez, Chairwoman of the Health Committee, and all congressmen and women, for voting to ban cosmetic animal testing in Mexico. This demonstrates Mexico’s leadership in North America, which could see our country become the first cruelty-free beauty market in the continent.”
The bill passed Mexico’s Senate last March in a single day and had since been waiting for approval in the Chamber of Deputies. HSI’s #SaveRalph film prompted renewed political movement in the Health Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, which passed the bill yesterday. Following minor amendments, the bill will be sent back to the Senate for final endorsement, which is expected to happen during the fall session.
Mexican consumers are increasingly concerned about animal welfare and disturbed by such practices, and many of them prefer products that do not involve animal suffering. A 2019 Parametría poll[1] shows that 78% of citizens place importance on making sure their cosmetics are cruelty-free when purchasing a product.
[1] Poll conducted by Parametría polling agency, between October 26 and November 2, 2019, using a national random sample of 880 cases, with a margin of error of (+/-) 3.3%.
The Health Commission of the Chamber of Deputies has not handed down a decision on legislative reforms to ban these cruel practices.
Humane Society International
HSI
MEXICO CITY—Humane Society International México (HSI/México), a leading international animal welfare organization, today submitted a petition to the Chamber of Deputies’ Health Commission to ban cosmetic testing on animals. In just one week, the #SaveRalph campaign, a short stop-motion animated film sponsored by HSI, collected over one million signatures from people who are opposed to these cruel, unnecessary and highly unpopular practices.
A year ago, the Mexican Senate unanimously passed reforms to the General Health Law to ban cosmetic testing. The Chamber of Deputies has yet to debate and vote on these reforms, which, if approved, would make Mexico the first country in North America and the 41st worldwide to ban these practices.
“The Health Commission, presided over by Deputy Miroslava Sánchez, urgently needs to rule in favor of these legislative reforms. Time is running out and if a ruling is not handed down, our efforts will have been cut short, because the legislative period ends this month, which is the reason why we are today submitting more than one million signatures that symbolize opposition to these cruel and unnecessary practices and call on deputies to vote on this important draft bill as soon as possible,” said Humane Society International México (HSI/México) Executive Director Antón Aguilar.
This clearly indicates that there is broad support for a ban on cosmetic testing on animals in Mexico and that there is a market for cruelty-free products. According to a survey by Parametría, when purchasing cosmetics, 78% of Mexican consumers would like to be informed whether or not the product was tested on animals.
The HSI #SeLibreDeCrueldad (#BeCrueltyFree) campaign was a determining factor in the decision of the European Union to become the largest cruelty-free cosmetic market in the world. Similar victories were achieved in India, Taiwan, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, Guatemala and Switzerland, in ten states in Brazil and four in the United States. Colombia banned cosmetic testing on animals last year, becoming the first South American country to do so, while Chile recently submitted a bill along the same lines.
MEXICO CITY—Hacienda Santa Bárbara, an eco-hotel in Tlaxcala, Mexico, has committed to improving farm animal welfare by exclusively sourcing cage-free eggs for all of its menu items by the end of 2021.
Hacienda Santa Barbara is a hotel from the 17th century, which has been converted to an ecological destination, using only locally produced products to reduce its carbon footprint.
Javier Zamora, owner of Hacienda Santa Bárbara said: “We are committed to working with our suppliers to use eggs from cage-free birds. We started this project with a goal to provide our clients with the best quality food, and for us this means it must be sourced from producers who employ higher animal welfare and more sustainable production methods.”
Arianna Torres, corporate policy and program manager for HSI/Mexico, said: “We congratulate La Hacienda Santa Bárbara for committing to offer only cage-free eggs on all its menus, joining the more than 200 companies worldwide that have already made this promise.”
The lives of countless farm animals improve when companies go cage-free. In Mexico, there are tens of thousands of egg-laying hens. The country’s conventional industrial production systems confine chickens for their entire lives in tiny cages made of wire, known as “battery cages.” These cages are so small that the chickens cannot even fully stretch their wings. Common sense and science agree that restraining animals for virtually their entire lives causes significant harm, depriving them of the opportunity to express important natural behavior.
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Media contacts: Laura Bravo, Mexico: 5554561476; laurabravocom@gmail.com
Humane Society International / Mexico
Tigrane Hogbossia
MEXICO CITY—Mica and Lalo, a restaurant and agroecological market, has committed to exclusively sourcing eggs from cage-free hens and pork from producers who do not confine mother pigs to crates throughout its supply chain by the end of 2021. With this announcement, Mica y Lalo joins the growing list of more than 200 companies around the world, like Bimbo, Barilla and McDonald’s, among others, that have pledged to include only cage-free eggs and pork in their supply chains.
Micaela Patiño, owner of Mica and Lalo, said: “Regardless of which link we belong to in the food chain: producer, supplier, processor, cook or consumer, the decisions we make are not isolated. We must take responsibility for our actions and inform ourselves of the impact they have. We can no longer blindfold ourselves or let others act. The congruence of our saying with our actions will be the basis of the change we want to see.”
Arianna Torres, of Humane Society International/ Mexico, said: “We congratulate Mica and Lalo for adopting this important commitment, where they prioritize the welfare conditions of farm animals and in this way contribute not only to guaranteed freedom of movement for laying hens and pregnant sows, but also provide their consumers with food in harmony with nature.”
This commitment improves the lives of tens of thousands of laying hens in Mexico. The country’s conventional industrial production systems often confine chickens for their entire lives in tiny cages made of wire. The cages are so small that the chickens cannot even fully stretch their wings. Common sense and science agree that restraining animals for virtually their entire lives causes significant physical pain and stress.
More and more companies are adopting responsible consumption policies. HSI will continue working with Mica and Lalo and other companies to remove animal cruelty from their supply chains.
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Media contact: Laura Bravo, Mexico: 555-456-1476; laurabravocom@gmail.com
Humane Society International / Mexico
David Paul Morris
MEXICO CITY—La Hacienda San Andrés, a XVI hacienda, has committed to sourcing exclusively cage-free eggs throughout its egg supply chain by the end 2021. The hotel made this decision because of animal welfare concerns with caging systems and to emphasize sustainable, responsible sourcing.
Chef and partner of Hacienda San Andrés, Marco Margain, said: “We are committed to our consumers to provide only eggs from cage-free birds. With this we reaffirm our social responsibility and maintain the highest standards for our clients regarding animal welfare.”
Arianna Torres, from HSI/Mexico, said: “We congratulate Hacienda San Andrés gourmet hotel for deciding to serve only cage-free eggs. More and more companies are adopting responsible consumption policies, and we will continue working with Hacienda San Andrés and other companies in favor of farm animal welfare.”
With this commitment, Hacienda San Andrés joins the list of more than 200 companies in Mexico and around the world, including Grupo Bimbo, CMR Restaurants, Grupo Alsea, Toks Restaurants, Barilla and many others, that have committed to source produced in systems that provide freedom from intensive confinement.
Mexico is one of the largest egg consumer countries in the world, according to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and more than 99% of laying are confined in an area smaller than a sheet of letter-size paper, where they cannot express their natural behavior, causing physical and psychological suffering.
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Media contact: Laura Bravo, Mexico: 555-456-1476; laurabravocom@gmail.com
Aguascalientes is one of the states with the highest rates of animal cruelty cases in Mexico
Humane Society International / Mexico
AGUASCALIENTES, Mexico—In order to enhance enforcement capacities to address animal cruelty, Humane Society International/Mexico and the State Environmental Attorney of Aguascalientes (PROESPA), held the second Aguascalientes Animal Protection Forum. The forum included presentations about rescuing animals, ways to approach and coexist with wildlife in cities, and humane education. The forum took place every Wednesday from November 18 to December 9. Aguascalientes is one of the states with the highest rates of animal cruelty cases in Mexico and reportedly used to be home to an international dogfighting tournament.
Felipe Marquez, animal cruelty program manager at HSI/Mexico, says: “HSI and PROESPA continue to enhance the knowledge and abilities of officials involved in animal cruelty response. Hosting the forum virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions actually allowed us to reach more people than normal from different states and even different countries, who were able to hear our wildlife, animal rescue and shelter expert speakers from Costa Rica, Colombia and Mexico.”
In Aguascalientes, PROESPA rescued more than 130 animals in 2019. HSI has joined PROESPA and local organizations in rescues of dozens of animals coming from cases of severe cruelty and neglect.
PROESPA animal cruelty inspectors, state justice attorney Aguascalientes officials, police officers from the Animal Brigade of Mexico City and local animal protection organizations from various states attended the event.
Felipe Marquez, HSI/Mexico, Aguascalientes: fmarquez@hsi.org; 449-152-7317
TOKS restaurants celebrated for innovations in farm animal welfare
Humane Society International / Mexico
Congratulations to TOKS! HSI
Humane Society International will recognize TOKS, the fast-casual restaurant chain with over 130 locations throughout Mexico, with a Henry Spira Humane Corporate Progress Award for its adoption of policies that improve farm animal welfare. The Grupo Gigante-owned restaurant developed a network of suppliers from rural communities to fulfill its commitment to serve 100% cage-free eggs in all its restaurants.
On November 17, Humane Society International recognized TOKS’ leadership and discuss the potential lessons and insights to be learned for other companies during a Facebook live virtual event.
Arianna Torres, corporate relations manager for HSI, said: “We congratulate Toks for its corporate effort for the welfare of animals, communities and the environment. The work it has done to fulfill its commitment to serve only cage-free eggs in all its restaurants sets an important example for the food industry in Mexico and globally to improve the welfare of farm animals, providing a route others can follow.”
Vivian Argüelles, animal behavior and welfare specialist at HSI, said: “In Mexico, more than 95% of hens live their entire lives in cages so small that they cannot even walk or stretch their wings. In contrast, cage-free production systems offer birds space and resources for higher levels of physical and mental welfare, including the expression of natural behaviors, such as laying their eggs in a nest, perching, taking dust baths and foraging.”
Toks has been a leader in sustainable and responsible sourcing since its efforts in 2003 to support indigenous communities through initiatives involving the consumption of honey, coffee, jam and now eggs. In 2016, Toks made a commitment to include cage-free eggs in its supply chain, with the goal to achieve full implementation by 2022. HSI forged a strong partnership with Toks, providing ongoing guidance, helping to identify potential suppliers and contributing important technical support.
Gustavo Perez, Toks’ sustainability director, said: “Companies must be co-responsible in building a more sustainable and responsible world, seeking social, animal and environmental wellbeing both in our operations and in the value chain. At Grupo Restaurantero Gigante we partner with the Heifer International organization for the supply of cage-free chicken eggs from indigenous groups in the country, benefiting both women producers and contributing to animal welfare. In 2016 we made a commitment with the guidance and support of HSI Mexico to supplying 100% cage-free chicken eggs by 2022, and we will be moving in that direction, while continuing to address the current economic situation.”
Toks realized early in its transition to cage-free eggs that local communities had the potential to become important partners. Toks’s project empowers women entrepreneurs, helping to strengthen the economy of their communities, while ensuring Toks has a sustainable supply of cage-free eggs.
“I invite all business actors to join responsible initiatives that make them agents of change in favor of the living beings that inhabit this planet,” added Gustavo Perez.
The Henry Spira Awards recognize significant corporate animal welfare commitments in the memory of Henry Spira (1927-1998), a legendary Belgian-American humane advocate who specialized in constructive engagement with corporations committed to an animal welfare mandate as part of their corporate social responsibility missions. He is considered one of the most effective animal advocates of the 20th century.
HSI/Mexico media contact: Laura Bravo, laura@labcomunicacion.com.mx
