Section:GDN 1N PaGe:17 Edition Date:190829 Edition:01 Zone: Sent at 28/8/2019 19:38 cYanmaGentaYellowb
Thursday 29 Aug ust 2019 The Guardian •
National^17
M&S ordered to shake up
name of Porn Star martini
Labour promises fresh
look at animal welfare
Rebecca Smithers
Consumer aff airs correspondent
Marks & Spencer has been ordered to
change the name of its Porn Star mar-
tini for breaching an industry code
linking alcohol to sexual activity.
The passion fruit-based vodka mix
Mattha Busby
Labour has unveiled plans to phase out
animal testing and ban trophy hunt-
ers from selling their spoils in the UK.
After consultations with the public,
the party would also review the use of
whips on racehorses by jockeys, forbid
electric pulse fi shing and prohibit the
sale and use of snares and glue traps,
which are used to catch animals.
As part of its animal welfare mani-
festo Labour is pledging to review the
Animals (Scientifi c Procedures) Act
1986 with a commitment to phase out
animal testing.
The British Horseracing Authority
has strict rules on the use of whipping,
with jockeys limited to a maximum of
seven times in a fl at race or eight times
in a jump race, and the horse must be
“in contention or clearly winning at
the time” the force is applied. Jockeys
disobeying such rules face suspension.
The shadow environment secre-
tary, Sue Hayman, confi rmed that a
Labour government would look into
whether the use of whips should be
further restricted. It was one of the pri-
orities raised in a consultation with
members, animal rights groups and
the public, said the party.
Hayman said Labour wanted to
“bring Britain’s animal welfare pol-
icy into the 21st century” , amid
heightened speculation over a n early
election. She said: “After consulting
with the public and groups involved
with research, it’s clear that we need
to focus minds and resources on alter-
natives to animal testing by declaring
our intention to phase it out.
martini in a can “contravenes the Port-
man code” in that it breached section
3.2 D , which concerns any alcoholic
product that “suggests any association
with sexual activity or sexual success”.
The original complainant noted: “If
you continue to allow this it will open
the fl oodgates to others eg Sex on the
Beach, Slippery Nipple, Sloe Comfort-
able Screw, Liquid Viagra etc.”
The complainant expressed concern
that the product was called Porn Star,
which link ed the alcoholic drink to
sexual success because porn stars are
paid for sexual success.“Labour urges the government to
categorically rule out the prospect of
duplicate animal testing [in the event
of a no-deal Brexit] and to commit to
the long-term phase-out of the use of
animal testing in collaboration with
researchers, medical professionals
and animal welfare experts.”
In 2018, 3.52m experimental proce-
dures involving living animals were
carried out across the UK, including
more than 100,000 cases where ani-
mals suff ered severely, and about
90,000 where the animal did not
regain consciousness after being
given a general anaesthetic, accord-
ing to Home Offi ce fi gures.
Other measures Labour w ould
propose include ensuring the maxi-
mum sentence c ould be handed out if
a defendant was found guilty of cru-
elty against a wild animal, and working
internationally to stop the return of
commercial whaling.
More than 6,000 responses were
received in response to the party’s
consultation.
The party said the manifesto w ould
also reiterate Labour’s commitment to
strengthening the Hunting Act 2004,
ending the badger cull, giving tenants
the right to keep pets, enshrining ani-
mal sentience in law and ending the
export of live animals for slaughter.The Portman Group’s independent
complaints panel said that while
nothing else on the packaging created
an association with sexual activity, the
name Porn Star martini was enough
of a link.
The drink – devised in 2002 by the
mixologist Douglas Ankrah – is widely
available in cocktail bars in the UK.
A Marks & Spencer spokesperson
said: “Porn Star martini is a common
name for a passion fruit cocktail drink.
However, as a Portman Group co-sig-
natory, we respect the ruling and will
be changing the name .”▲ Labour will review the use of whips in horse racing PHOTOGRAPH: DAVID DAVIES/PA
- launched by the retailer last Septem-
ber – is being rebranded Passion Star
martini and will be introduced in M&S
stores over the next three months.
In a ruling last month, the Portman
Group, the UK’s alcohol watchdog
funded by the industry , upheld a single
complaint by a member of the pub-
lic. It stated that M&S’s £2.25 Porn Star
‘We need to focus
on alternatives to
animal testing’Sue Hayman Shadow
environment secretaryThe Porn Star martini is being
rebranded as Passion StarRELEASED BY "What's News" vk.com/wsnws TELEGRAM: t.me/whatsnws