Committee reviews bill requiring Vermont product testers to prioritize non-animal methods

Representative Emily Krasnow told the House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency & Forestry that H.14 would require companies that test products to prioritize non‑animal testing when approved alternatives exist and to report annually on animal use.

"For decades, animals have been subjected to cruel and painful experiments for the creation of cosmetic products," Krasnow said, arguing modern human‑cell‑based tests and computational methods make many traditional animal tests unnecessary. She described H.14 as a law that "requires companies that test products, including cosmetics, household products, pesticides, drugs, vaccines, or industrial chemicals to prioritize non‑animal test methods when they are developed and available, [and] are approved by federal agencies as acceptable alternatives to traditional animal tests."

The bill, as explained to the committee by Katie McGlenn of the Office of Legislative Council, would create a new subchapter titled "Use of Animals in Product Testing" with definitions, prohibitions, carve‑outs and reporting…