Later in the spring, Attleboro and Arlington, Massachusetts, became the 15th and 16th U.S. municipalities to pass prohibitions on the sale of new fur products. These ordinances not only create more humane marketplaces by ending any association with the fur trade, but they also create opportunities for innovative alternatives to improve in quality and scale to meet consumer demand.
In October, Romania became the 22nd country in Europe to prohibit fur farming, following a multiyear campaign by Humane Society International/Europe, which included an undercover investigation that showed chinchillas confined in small, filthy wire cages for their entire lives, only to be killed in improvised gas chambers or by having their necks broken. With Romania’s departure from the fur trade, we are one step closer to ending fur production throughout Europe, which collectively is the second largest producer of fur after China.
Romania’s ban is even more significant this year because the European Commission is in the process of responding to a European Citizens Initiative, signed by more than 1.5 million citizens, that asks for a complete prohibition on fur production and the placement of fur products in the European Union. The European Food and Safety Authority plans to release a report next year on whether fur farms meet the welfare needs for undomesticated animals, like foxes, mink, raccoon dogs and chinchillas, which will form part of the European Commission’s legislative response to the European Citizens Initiative set for 2026.
Also in October, we welcomed a new bill in the UK that would prevent the import and sale of new animal fur from all species. The UK already bans the import and trade of fur from cats, dogs and seals, so this bill would simply extend those protections to include foxes, raccoon dogs, mink, chinchillas, coyotes and other animals killed for fur fashion. Fur farming has been banned in the UK since 2003, so it only makes sense that if it’s too cruel to produce, it should be too cruel to sell.
The UK campaign is a reminder of how crucial it is that we continue to shine a light on the cruelty that persists on these fur farms, and our recent investigation looking at fur farms in Finland did just that. Our UK team partnered with Finnish animal protection organization Oikeutta eläimille in October to visit fox farms certified by a scheme that the fur trade boasts as having “the highest level of animal welfare.” What they witnessed was anything but. Foxes suffering from open wounds, infected eyes and deformed feet from living in small, barren cages is the sad reality these animals face every day of their short lives.
None of this progress would have happened if it weren’t for passionate advocates who stayed the course and made their voices heard. Whether you asked brands or retailers to drop fur on social media, wrote to legislators to support the end of fur sales or production, opted for fur-free alternatives or all the above, it’s because of you that we all bear witness to the fur industry’s ongoing collapse.
As we reflect on the progress made this year on so many issues that touch the lives of countless animals, it’s important to recognize that positive change takes time, but each incremental step is essential to achieving our overarching goal of ending animal cruelty. The accumulation of those steps over time eventually reaches a tipping point at which we, along with the very industries that we’re fighting against, start foreseeing the endgame.
Even though the fur trade is dwindling, now is not the time to ease up pressure. The confining and killing of 20 million foxes, mink, chinchillas and raccoon dogs is still 20 million too high. These wild animals would rather be running, swimming, digging and caring for their young. We are dedicated to winning this fight and won’t stop until the cruelty of fur farms is eradicated forever.
Follow Kitty Block @HSUSKittyBlock.
