Singer’s Valentine’s Plea

British singer and animal-welfare advocate Leona Lewis sent a Valentine’s Day plea to European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy John Dalli yesterday, urging him to consider following through with the Commission’s proposed 2013 ban on animal tested-cosmetics in the European Union. Animal testing for cosmetics, along with the sale and importing of animal-tested beauty products, was banned in the EU in 2009, with the exception of three tests, for which researchers were given until 2013 to find humane replacements. In response to news that the EU Health Commission is considering extending the 2013 deadline, Humane Society International launched the Cruelty-Free 2013 petition, a campaign supported by Lewis and fellow British stars such as Ricky Gervais and Dame Judi Dench.