Yvonne smalley

An Inspirational Activist Who Raised Awareness About Animal Cruelty Within Irish Laboratories

Yvonne Smalley was one of the first and very few people in Ireland to bring awareness to people in recent times about the cruelty animals endure in labs across Ireland. In a very secretive world of science that is still to this day not know much about. The general public know more about the cruelty involved with killing animals for food then they do about what happens behind closed doors of laboratories across the country. Yvonne was involved in many campaigns over the years and with that had well sourced insider knowledge which she published on the IAVS website and through emails to IAVS large volume of subscribers over the years.

Today: Saturday 3rd September 2022 An email was sent out to IAVS subscribers announcing Yvonne’s passing in July. Part of the tribute reads: “For around 30 years she volunteered for and chaired the IAVS, ensuring the voice of the animals was heard by the Government and public through pivotal times such as major reforms in animal experimentation legislation and fighting the horrific expansion of botox animal testing.” Going on to say ‘The animals have lost a true advocate on their behalf. Through her selfless devotion to those who cannot defend themselves, she lived the most important and meaningful life possible.”

• One of Yvonne’s last campaigns that she took part in was the SAVE THE COSMETIC’S TESTING BAN campaign across Europe which started in August 2021 and finished one year later. The campaign was a huge success. A quota of 1,400,000 ECI signatures was reached. In a campaign which Cruelty Free Europe launched and relentlessly worked hard towards achieving.

Laura Broxson of NARA (National Animal Rights Assciation) on hearing about Yvonne’s passing told SAFRIreland: “Since meeting her when I was 14 years of age, she was always eager to share information and give support. From teaching me about the horrors of vivisection in Ireland, to guiding me in deciphering cryptic reports from labs, Yvonne was always willing to help. Her personal support for me over the years was especially kind, and will never be forgotten. Whether it was a radio piece I did or article in a newspaper, she would always contact me to say ‘well done’. The animals of Ireland have lost a great advocate, and the animal rights community have lost a great friend. RIP Yvonne, and thank you for everything you did.”

SAFRIreland encourage’s everyone to learn more about the unnecessary and relentless tests that hundreds of thousand of animals suffer through every year in our country. Especially since Ireland is one of the main pharmaceutical hubs in Europe. The government needs to urgently put funding towards the discovery and innovation of animal free methods of science research. Cruelty free science is the only way forward.

Thank You Yvonne for helping the most innocent among us.