Ford Motor Company Bans All Animal Testing
The car manufacturer had previously been criticized for funding a study where pigs were killed and used in tests which replicated car crash injuries.
Ford Motor Company has announced a ban on all animal testing, following nearly two years of pressure from animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
The carmaker caused controversy when it was revealed that it had funded a study published in 2018 in which 27 pigs were killed. In the study, the animals were killed and then strung up by wires through their spines and slammed with a high-impact pendulum in an attempt to replicate car crash injuries.
A public outcry followed, including messages to Ford from more than 125,000 PETA supporters and a letter from actor and Detroit native Lily Tomlin.
Now, in response, Ford has updated and strengthened its policy to close all loopholes, stating in its latest financial report that “Ford’s practice is not to use or fund animals for testing nor to ask others to do that for us.”
“This is a major, lifesaving win for animals, and Ford will never again pay to have pendulums smashed into pigs as human stand-ins,” PETA Vice President Shalin Gala said in a statement. “PETA applauds this auto giant for catching up to its rivals and hitting the brakes on needless and cruel animal testing.”
PETA points out that animal testing, such as using pigs in crash tests, produces irrelevant results as pigs and other animals don’t naturally sit upright in car seats, and pig and human anatomis are vastly different.
Ford’s move means that no major US carmaker funds crash tests on animals anymore, following recently confirmed bans by other companies including General Motors and Stellantis.
Most automakers now use modern technology to replace animal testing, such as computer modelling, three-dimensional medical imaging, or sophisticated manikins.
To learn more about the fight to end animal testing, listen to this Species Unite podcast series, which features guests such as PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk, Dr Katherine Roe, Elizabeth Baker, and many more.
Read more: Cruel, Unethical, And Dangerous To Humans: Why Animal Testing Must End Now.
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The footage was reportedly recorded at Marshall BioResources in North Rose, New York, where up to 22,000 dogs - mostly beagles - are being bred for animal experimentation.