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Vegetarians to be offered cheaper life insurance
Vegetarians are to be offered cheaper life insurance because it is claimed they are healthier and less likely to die early. The AFI insurance agency has devised the Vegetarian Term Life policy to reward non meateaters with lower premiums. Vegetarians are a better insurance risk: - They are less likely to suffer from the sort of serious or chronic illnesses that shorten lives. - According to the Vegetarian Society, the risk of some cancers is reduced by up to 40% and of heart disease by 30%. - The chance of developing kidney and gall stones is also lower, it says, while the threat of diet-related diabetes and high blood pressure is minimised. - There is also less danger of food poisoning. The new policy, underwritten by the Liverpool Victoria Life Company, offers a 25% reduction on monthly premiums in the first year only. AFI is arguing for the entire industry to deliver long-term discounts to vegetarians. "Insurance companies look at smoking, drinking habits and family medical history when deciding premiums. 'We believe that a vegetarian lifestyle should be given equal weight" said Mr Fairfax, cofounder of AFI. "There is plenty of clear factual evidence to demonstrate the health benefits of being a vegetarian which should be recognised across the insurance industry. Independent studies show that, on a 1 2-year follow-up study of 1 1 ,000 people, vegetarians have a lower rate of mortality in some significant areas than non-vegetarians." Source
Aurélie
UK animal experiments increase by 8% in 201 2
The number of animal experiments carried out in the UK rose by 8% in 201 2, according to Home Office figures. The rise is partly due to an increase in the number of genetically modified animals being used: for the first time, the number of procedures involving GM animals was higher than the number on non-GM ones. Campaigners criticised what they said was the government's failure to deliver on a post-election pledge to cut the number of procedures. About 4.1 1 million scientific experiments on animals took place in 201 2, an increase of 31 7.200 on the previous year. The number of GM animals increased by 22%; this year saw 1 .91 million genetically modified (GM) animals used compared to 1 .68 million non-GM animals. The government report said: "The overall level of scientific procedures is determined by a number of factors, including the economic climate and global trends in scientific endeavour. In recent years, while many types of research have declined or even ended, the advent of modern scientific techniques has opened up new research areas, with genetically modified animals, mainly mice, often being required to support these areas." In 201 0 the coalition government pledged to promote higher standards of animal welfare. They stated: "We will end the testing of household products on animals and work to reduce the use of animals in scientific research."
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