Which countries have prohibited or restricted fur farming?
For the latest updates, see the Fur Free Alliance website
Country | Legislation | Additional information |
Austria | Full Ban | Came into effect in 2004 |
Brazil | Area Ban (San Paolo) | State of Sao Paolo introduced a fur farming ban in 2014 also an import ban in 2015 |
Czech Republic | Full ban | Agreed 2017. Effective 2019 |
Croatia | Full Ban | Introduced 2007 with 10 year phase out. Came into force 1 Jan 2017 |
Belgium | Area Ban (potential for a full ban) | Fox farming is banned in Wallonia and Brussels |
Bosnia & Herzegovina | Full Ban | Effective 2018 |
Denmark | Partial Ban | 2009 ban on fox farming with phase-in until 2017 for most farms and 2023 for farms where fox farming is main income |
Germany | Phased out | Effective 2022. Fur regulations were made stricter in 2017 with welfare requirements (to be implemented within 5 yrs) that effectively make fur farming unviable |
Hungary | Partial Ban | Chinchilla and rabbit farming is still allowed |
India | Import Ban | January 2017 adopted an import ban on mink, fox and chinchilla fur skins |
Japan | Phased out | Not banned, but phased out; the last fur farm closed in November 2016 |
Luxembourg | Potential Ban | Effective 2019 if passed |
Netherlands | Full Ban | 1995 banned fox farming; 1997 banned chinchilla farming; mink farming will be banned by 2024 |
New Zealand | Phased out | Prohibit the import of mink, which effectively bans mink farming |
Northern Ireland | Full Ban | Full Ban in 2000 |
Republic of Macedonia | Full Ban | Full ban 2014 with 3-year phase-out |
Serbia | Full Ban | Full Ban 2019 |
Slovenia | Full Ban | Full ban 2013, effective 1 Jan 2015 |
Spain | Partial phase out | Mink farming will be phased out |
Sweden | Partial Ban | 1995 Sweden required that fox captivity must allow them to be active, dig and socialize with other foxes, effectively making fox farming economically unviable and the practice ended |
Switzerland | Phased out | Farming of fur bearing animals is legally required to emulate zoo conditions, thus there are no fur farms in Switzerland |
United Kingdom | Full Ban | Full Ban in 2000 effective from 2003 |
USA | Area Ban (West Hollywood) | In 2011, West Hollywood was the first city in the world to ban the sales of fur; the ban came into force in 2013 |