Tag: mink

Early closure will spare 13.5 million mink from being born to suffer wasted lives

Humane Society International / Europe

Mark Hicken, Alamy Stock photo

AMSTERDAM—The Dutch government has agreed that all mink fur farms must permanently close by March 2021, according to Dutch national news service, NOS. Mink fur farming was banned in the Netherlands in 2013 with a deadline for complete phase out by 2024, so this decision sees that closure fast-tracked to prevent long term COVID-19 virus reservoirs forming on affected farms.

Since April, an estimated 2 million mink have already been preventatively culled following the outbreak of coronavirus on 41 fur farms. Leading animal charity Humane Society International applauds the Dutch cabinet for ordering the early closure of fur farms in the Netherlands and closing this chapter on this animal abuse industry.

Today’s announcement will not require mink on the 120 remaining fur farms to be preventatively culled unless new COVID-19 outbreaks occur. Mink on unaffected farms will be slaughtered for their pelts in November this year, but breeders are not permitted to restock, meaning fur farms will close forever. By March 2021, all remaining mink operations will be bought out by the government.

Speaking from Amsterdam, Dr Joanna Swabe, senior director of public affairs for Humane Society International/Europe, said: “This signals the end of suffering for millions of animals confined to small wire cages on fur farms in the Netherlands. We commend the government on its decision to end this incredibly cruel and completely unnecessary industry and protect citizens. With 41 fur farms and an estimated 2 million mink now having been infected, the risk of keeping these virus reservoirs operating, is far too great. Over the past weeks, the Dutch government has failed to act as infection numbers rose. Without this early termination of fur farming, up to 13.5 million more animals would be forced to suffer short and miserable lives solely to supply the fickle fashion industry. It is a sick industry both literally and figuratively. There has never been a more compelling time for the Netherlands to shut down this industry for good”.

Last month, the Dutch Government announced its plans to implement a one-stop voluntary closing scheme that allows mink companies to voluntarily end their business operations in the short term. It requested advice from the Outbreak Management Team on Zoonosis (OMT-Z) and promised to announce its decision on future steps in August 2020. Ministers Hugo de Jonge of Health, Welfare and Sport, and Carola Schouten of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, together with the fur farming sector and experts, tightened the hygiene protocol since 10 July in hopes of putting the spread to bed. However, following the news of further infections, the OMT-Z was asked to elaborate on the risk assessment and measures in the light of public health. Over the course of the next months, until the termination is fully implemented, Minister Schouten will tighten up COVID-19 measures on existing operations. She will also conduct an investigation into compliance with the COVID-19 rules by the sector.

The Netherlands farmed around 4.5 million mink in 2018. Since April, two fur farm workers are believed “extremely likely” to have contracted the virus from mink.

Mink fur farms and COVID-19 timeline

  • 26 April: SARS-CoV-2 identified on two mink farms in Netherlands.
  • 9 May: SARS-CoV-2 found on two more mink farms in Noord Brabant as well as in dust particles in the barns in which they are kept in.
  • 15 May: SARS-CoV-2 diagnosed in three cats living at a mink farm where the presence of the virus was detected.
  • 19 May: First farm worker reported to have contracted COVID-19; Minister confirms compulsory screening is extended to all mink farms in the Netherlands.
  • 20 May: Dutch Agriculture Minister Carola Schouten tells MPs it is likely mink infected with SARS-CoV-2 passed the virus to a worker.
  • 22 May 2020: Seven of 14 employees of a mink farm in La Puebla de Valverde (Spain) test positive for SARS-CoV-2.
  • 25 May: A second farm worker contracts COVID-19, Minister confirms transmission from mink to humans now “extremely likely.”
  • 28 May: Ministers’ confirm mandatory screening of all Dutch mink farms is underway.
  • 1 June: SARS-Cov-2 found on another three mink fur farms in the Netherlands, with a fourth case confirmed on 3 June bringing the total to nine farms.
  • 3 June: Dutch Ministers publish final report confirming animals on the infected farms will be culled, a measure taken “in the interests of both public and animal health”.
  • 23 June: Dutch Parliament votes in favour of shutting down all mink fur farms in the Netherlands, with early closure of farms with compensation to be paid to fur farmers to end the practice earlier than the phase out due date of 31st December 2023.
  • 1 July: The Dutch Government says it will consider a one-stop voluntary closing scheme and breeding ban for mink fur farms in the Netherlands. It aims to make a decision in August 2020 and must notify Parliament before the new mating season starts in February 2021.
  • 6 July: 20th mink fur farm in the Netherlands confirmed with COVID-19
  • 9 July: Two more mink farms in the Netherlands confirmed with COVID-19. Another 75,000 mink culled.
  • 9 July: Brabant-Zuidoost regional safety board calls on Minister Schouten to implement preventative clearing.
  • 13 July: The 23rd mink fur farm in the Netherlands was confirmed as being infected with COVID-19.
  • 15 July: Another Dutch mink fur farm infected with COVID-19. This brings the total of infected farms to 24. The Dutch mink death toll reaches 1 million mink, according to national media sources.
  • 16 July: First farm in Spain identified with corona-infected mink. The Aragonese Minister of Agriculture, Joaquín Olona, during the press conference in which he reported the extermination of the farm with 92,700 minks Health orders to exterminate a farm of 92,700 minks invaded by the Covid in Teruel. The authorities recognize that there are indications that point to a cross contagion between humans and animals on that farm.
  • 10 August 2020: 28th and 29th farm confirmed by Ministers, in Elsendorp (12,000 dams) and in Vredepeel (6,000 dams) respectively.
  • 13 August 2020: 30th farm confirmed by Ministers, in Ven-Zelderheide (municipality of Gennep), with approximately 1,800 mother animals.
  • 14 August 2020: 31st farm confirmed by Ministers, in Altforst (municipality of West Maas en Waal), with approximately 12,000 mother animals.
  • 14 August 2020: Forth farm identified in Denmark. All four farms identified are located in North Jutland. No details of the number of mink on the farm.  The mink will not be killed.
  • 16 August 2020: Infections on Netherlands farms 32 and 33 confirmed by Ministers, in De Mortel and in Ottersum.
  • 17 August 2020: USDA Confirms first confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 in mink at two farms in Utah, United States.
  • 18 August 2020: Three new Dutch farms confirmed, taking the total number of farms to 36.
  • 24 August 2020: Three new farm infected with Covid-19. An infection with SARS-CoV-2 has been established on a farm in De Rips, as well as in Vlierden and in Ven-Zelderheide. A total of 40 mink farms in the Netherlands have now been declared infected.
  • 27 August 2020: 41st farm infected with Covid-19.
  • 27 August 2020: Dutch government announce agreement to fast track the permanent closure of all mink fur farms in the Netherlands by March 2021.

Media contact:

To request an interview with HSI spokespeople (Dutch and English speakers) please contact Leozette Roode, HSI/UK: LRoode@hsi.org

Notes

Latest available figures show approximately 35 million mink were farmed in 2018 in Europe, including Denmark (17.6m), Poland (5m), Netherlands (4.5m), Finland (1.85m), Greece (1.2m) and Lithuania (1.2m).  Figures for the same period show that mink were farmed for their fur in China (20.7m), the United States (3.1m) and Canada (1.7m), bringing the total to approximately 60million mink globally on fur farms.

Humane Society International urges Dutch government to fast track early closure of this cruel industry

Humane Society International / Europe

Jo-Anne McArthur/We Animals A male mink at a fur farm.

AMSTERDAM—COVID-19 infections on Dutch mink fur farms have now led to an estimated 1 million mink being culled by government order. Today, yet another mink fur farm in the Netherlands with 4,500 breeding mink was confirmed as being infected with the novel virus, bringing the total number of infected farms up to 24. Leading animal charity Humane Society International is calling on the Dutch government to take urgent action and fast track the early closure of fur farms in the Netherlands as a potential reservoir for SARS-CoV-2 and other novel infectious zoonotic diseases. Mink fur farming was banned in the Netherlands in 2013 with a deadline for complete phase out by 2024.

Speaking from Amsterdam, Dr Joanna Swabe, senior director of public affairs for Humane Society International/Europe, said: “The death toll from the Dutch mink fur farm culls has now reached 1 million mink. The risk from failing to eliminate this virus reservoir is clear and yet still the Dutch government is not acting decisively by fast-tracking the early closure of this cruel and dangerous industry. The Dutch Parliament has already adopted a motion calling for the mink industry to shut down before the existing 2024 deadline. In addition to fur factory farming being inherently cruel, the potential for zoonotic disease spread, and for mink fur farms in particular to act as reservoirs for coronaviruses, incubating pathogens transmissible to humans, is an unavoidably compelling reason for the world to call time on fur farming.”   

Earlier this month the Dutch Government said it will consider a one-stop voluntary closing scheme and breeding ban for mink fur farms in the Netherlands, in response to motions adopted by the Parliament. It promised to announce its decision in August 2020 and notify Parliament before the new mating season begins. The Zoonoses Outbreak Management Team is expected to release its preliminary report on Thursday 16 July to advise the government on its future course of action. How the virus has been able to spread so rapidly among the mink population and between farms is one of the key questions that will hopefully be answered.

The Netherlands farmed around 4.5 million mink in 2018, on 128 fur farms. Since April, two fur farm workers are believed “extremely likely” to have contracted the virus from mink. This marked the start of the culling of 1 million mink. The early closure scheme considered by government will apply to all fur farms, including farms that have culled mink due to COVID -19. A ban on the transportation of mink to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is currently in place, which should mean that no new mink can be brought to an already-culled mink farm. However, the Ministerial response to the Regional Safety Authority states that the movement of young mink to other locations is permitted to prevent overcrowding.

Mink fur farms and COVID-19 timeline

  • 26 April: SARS-CoV-2 identified on two mink farms in Netherlands.
  • 9 May: SARS-CoV-2 found on two more mink farms in Noord Brabant as well as in dust particles in the barns in which they are kept in.
  • 15 May: SARS-CoV-2 diagnosed in three cats living at a mink farm where the presence of the virus was detected.
  • 19 May: First farm worker reported to have contracted COVID-19; Minister confirms compulsory screening is extended to all mink farms in the Netherlands.
  • 20 May: Dutch Agriculture Minister Carola Schouten tells MPs it is likely mink infected with SARS-CoV-2 passed the virus to a worker.
  • 22 May 2020: Seven of 14 employees of a mink farm in La Puebla de Valverde (Spain) test positive for SARS-CoV-2.
  • 25 May: A second farm worker contracts COVID-19, Minister confirms transmission from mink to humans now “extremely likely.”
  • 28 May: Ministers’ confirm mandatory screening of all Dutch mink farms is underway.
  • 1 June: SARS-Cov-2 found on another three mink fur farms in the Netherlands, with a fourth case confirmed on 3 June bringing the total to nine farms.
  • 3 June: Dutch Ministers publish final report confirming animals on the infected farms will be culled, a measure taken “in the interests of both public and animal health”.
  • 23 June: Dutch Parliament votes in favour of shutting down all mink fur farms in the Netherlands, with early closure of farms with compensation to be paid to fur farmers to end the practice earlier than the phase out due date of 31st December 2023.
  • 1 July: The Dutch Government says it will consider a one-stop voluntary closing scheme and breeding ban for mink fur farms in the Netherlands. It aims to make a decision in August 2020 and must notify Parliament before the new mating season starts in February 2021.
  • 6 July: 20th mink fur farm in the Netherlands confirmed with COVID-19
  • 9 July: Two more mink farms in the Netherlands confirmed with COVID-19. Another 75,000 mink culled.
  • 9 July: Brabant-Zuidoost regional safety board calls on Minister Schouten to implement preventative clearing.
  • 13 July: The 23rd mink fur farm in the Netherlands was confirmed as being infected with COVID-19.
  • 15 July: Another Dutch mink fur farm infected with COVID-19. This brings the total of infected farms to 24. The Dutch mink death toll reaches 1 million mink, according to national media sources.

ENDS

Media contact:

To request an interview with HSI spokespeople (Dutch and English speakers) please contact Leozette Roode, HSI/UK: LRoode@hsi.org

Notes

Latest available figures show approximately 35 million mink were farmed in 2018 in Europe, including Denmark (17.6m), Poland (5m), Netherlands (4.5m), Finland (1.85m), Greece (1.2m) and Lithuania (1.2m).  Figures for the same period show that mink were farmed for their fur in China (20.7m), the United States (3.1m) and Canada (1.7m), bringing the total to approximately 60million mink globally on fur farms.

Humane Society International urges European Commission to support the early closure of this cruel industry

Humane Society International / Europe

Mark Hicken, Alamy Stock photo

AMSTERDAM—The Dutch Government has today said it will consider a one-stop voluntary closing scheme and breeding ban for mink fur farms in the Netherlands. It aims to make a decision in August 2020 and must notify Parliament before the new mating season starts in February 2021. Any decision on the early closure scheme and financial compensation cannot be announced before notifying Parliament as it involves a State Aid measure and therefore requires approval by the European Commission.

The Government statement is in response to recent motions voted on by MPs calling for the early closure of the 128 remaining mink fur farms in the Netherlands, following outbreaks of Covid-19 on 17 fur farms since 26 April.

Animal protection charity Humane Society International fully supports the early closure of fur farming in the Netherlands. Speaking from Amsterdam, Dr Joanna Swabe, HSI/Europe’s senior director of public affairs, said: “The Dutch Government’s confirmation today that it will consider ending the inhumane practice of mink fur farming before the existing 2024 deadline is a welcome next step towards the Netherlands finally being free of fur production. Exploiting, depriving and killing animals for frivolous fur fashion is not only incredibly cruel and unnecessary, but we now know that it can also serve as a reservoir for coronaviruses, posing a risk to human health. So we urge the European Commission to approve the government’s impending request to use State Aid to facilitate the end of mink fur farming three years earlier than legally required. While it is never desirable to provide public money to the fur trade, using such funds to terminate this abusive and risky industry would be a price worth paying.”

Since April, two fur farm workers are believed “extremely likely” to have contracted the virus from mink, after which around 723,000 mink have been killed to prevent further spread, including 615,000 kits.The early closure scheme will apply to all fur farms, including farms that have culled mink due to Covid-19. A ban on the transportation of mink to prevent the spread of Covid-19 is currently in place, which means that no new mink can be brought to an already-culled mink farm.

FAST FACTS:

  • SARS-CoV-2 was first identified on two mink farms in Netherlands on 26 April 2020.
  • On 3 June 2020, Dutch Ministers published a final report confirming animals on the infected farms will be culled, a measure taken “in the interests of both public and animal health”.
  • An estimated 60 million mink are farmed for their fur around the world, with the top three production countries China (20.6 million mink), Denmark (17.6 million mink) and Poland (5 million mink) in 2018.
  • Fur farming has been banned across the UK since 2003, and has been prohibited and/or is in the process of being phased-out in the following European countries: Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Croatia, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Norway, Luxembourg, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and most recently the government in Ireland has committed to ending fur farming. Bulgaria, Lithuania, Montenegro and Ukraine are also presently considering bans on fur farming. A proposal to ban fur farming in Estonia was also tabled this week. In the United States, California became the first US state to ban fur sales in 2019 following similar bans in cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berkeley and West Hollywood. In 2020, legislators in Hawaii and Rhode Island introduced fur sales ban proposals, as have cities in Minnesota and Massachusetts.
  • Fur farming, however, continues in other countries with China, Denmark, Finland and Poland being the biggest producers, and globally an estimated 100 million animals are killed annually for their fur, including mink, foxes and raccoon dogs.

Download video of mink farms in the Netherlands (courtesy of Dutch organisations Bont voor Dieren and Animal Rights).

ENDS

Media contact: To request an interview with HSI spokespeople (Dutch and English speakers) please contact Leozette Roode, HSI/UK: lroode@hsi.org

Notes
Latest available figures show approximately 35 million mink were farmed in 2018 in Europe, including Denmark (17.6m), Poland (5m), Netherlands (4.5m), Finland (1.85m), Greece (1.2m) and Lithuania (1.2m). Figures for the same period show that mink were farmed for their fur in China (20.7m), the United States (3.1m) and Canada (1.7m), bringing the total to approximately 60 million mink globally on fur farms.

Humane Society International welcomes vote signalling an end to the Netherlands’ horrific fur farm industry

Humane Society International / Europe

Jillian Cooper/iStock.com 

AMSTERDAM—Dutch MPs voted overwhelmingly today in favour of shutting down the estimated 128 remaining mink fur farms in the Netherlands, following outbreaks of COVID-19 on 17 fur farms since 26 April. Two farm workers are also believed to have contracted the virus from mink, after which hundreds of thousands of mink have been killed to prevent further spread. Humane Society International/Europe says it is good riddance to an industry predicated on the out-dated idea that exploiting, depriving and killing animals for frivolous fur fashion is acceptable.

Politicians voted in favour of the early closure of farms with compensation to be paid to fur farmers to end the practice earlier than the phase out due date of 31st December 2023, despite many fur farms being worth tens of millions of euros. Mink fur farming was banned in the Netherlands in 2013, and produced around 4.5 million mink pelts in 2018.

Speaking from Amsterdam, Dr Joanna Swabe, senior director of public affairs for animal protection group Humane Society International/Europe, said: “The intensive breeding and caging of animals on fur farms is an incredibly cruel practice that not only causes immense suffering to animals, but can also serve as a reservoir for coronaviruses. The Dutch Parliament has today said good riddance to an industry predicated on the out-dated idea that exploiting, depriving and killing animals for frivolous fur fashion is acceptable. While we are disappointed by the suggestion that taxpayers’ hard-earned money should be used as compensation to fur farmers who have kept this cruel industry alive in the face of massive public and political opposition, this vote calls on the government to act swiftly to end this inhumane practice before the existing 2024 deadline. That is worth a celebration. The Dutch government now has to take action to honour the Parliament’s wishes.” 

With clear parliamentary support for swift action, the Dutch Government will now be under pressure to ensure a ban on mink production given that this species is known to be susceptible to the coronavirus and could act as a reservoir for the disease. The Parliament also voted to maintain the ban on transporting mink and to prevent fur farms where the mink have already been culled from restocking with mink.

FAST FACTS:

  • SARS-CoV-2 was first identified on two mink farms in Netherlands on 26 April 2020.
  • On 3 June 2020, Dutch Ministers published a final report confirming animals on the infected farms will be culled, a measure taken “in the interests of both public and animal health”.
  • An estimated 60 million mink are farmed for their fur around the world, with the top three production countries China (20.6 million mink), Denmark (17.6 million mink) and Poland (5 million mink) in 2018.
  • Fur farming has been banned across the UK since 2003, and has been prohibited and/or is in the process of being phased-out in the following European countries: Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Croatia, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Norway, Luxembourg, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and most recently the government in Ireland has committed to ending fur farming.  Bulgaria, Lithuania, Montenegro and Ukraine are also presently considering bans on fur farming. A proposal to ban fur farming in Estonia was also tabled this week. In the United States, California became the first US state to ban fur sales in 2019 following similar bans in cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berkeley and West Hollywood. In 2020, legislators in Hawaii and Rhode Island introduced fur sales ban proposals, as have cities in Minnesota and Massachusetts.
  • Fur farming, however, continues in other countries with China, Denmark, Finland and Poland being the biggest producers, and globally an estimated 100 million animals are killed annually for their fur, including mink, foxes and raccoon dogs.

Download video of mink farms in the Netherlands (courtesy of Dutch organisations Bont voor Dieren and Animal Rights)

ENDS

Media contact: To request an interview with HSI spokespeople (Dutch and English speakers), please contact Leozette Roode, HSI/UK: lroode@hsi.org

Notes
Latest available figures show approximately 35 million mink were farmed in 2018 in Europe, including Denmark (17.6m), Poland (5m), Netherlands (4.5m), Finland (1.85m), Greece (1.2m) and Lithuania (1.2m).  Figures for the same period show that mink were farmed for their fur in China (20.7m), the United States (3.1m) and Canada (1.7m), bringing the total to approximately 60 million mink globally on fur farms.

Humane Society International urges governments to close mink farms in all countries

Humane Society International / Europe

Jo-Anne McArthur/We Animals

LONDON—The Dutch government has ordered the culling of thousands of mink on nine fur farms from Friday this week, following advice from a team of veterinary and infectious disease experts that mink fur farms could act as a reservoir for SARS-COV-2, allowing it to remain in circulation for a long time.

Dutch MPs were notified of the cabinet decision in a letter sent last night by the Dutch Agriculture Minister and the Minister for Public Health, Welfare & Sport. The investigation by the Dutch Zoonoses Outbreak Management Team follows the Dutch Agriculture Minister’s statement on 25th May that it was ‘extremely likely’ that two fur farm workers in the Netherlands had contracted COVID-19 from mink infected with SARS-CoV-2.

In response to the Dutch government’s findings, animal protection group Humane Society International is calling for the global closure of mink fur farms as potential breeding ground for COVID-19 and other novel infectious zoonotic diseases. An estimated 60 million mink are farmed for their fur in 24 countries around the world, with the top three production countries China (20.6million mink), Denmark (17.6million mink) and Poland (5 million mink) in 2018.

Speaking from Amsterdam, Dr Joanna Swabe, Senior Director of Public Affairs for animal protection group Humane Society International/Europe, said: “The intensive cage confinement of animals on fur farms has always been a potential breeding ground for infectious diseases, and confirmation that mink on Dutch fur farms have infected workers with COVID-19 exposes yet another reason to close this cruel and entirely unnecessary industry. Fur farms typically contain thousands of mink in rows of cages in unsanitary, crowded and stressful conditions not unlike the wildlife markets at the centre of global concern. In addition to fur factory farming being inherently cruel, the potential for zoonotic disease spread, and for mink fur farms in particular to act as reservoirs for coronaviruses, incubating pathogens transmissible to humans, is an unavoidably compelling reason for the world to call time on fur farming and for all fashion companies to go fur-free. The Netherlands’ deadline of 2024 for phasing out mink fur farms simply provides three and a half more years of unnecessary risk. The Dutch government, and all fur-producing countries like Denmark, Poland, France, Italy, China, Finland, Spain and the United States, should commit to end this inhumane practice and protect public health.”

The Ministers’ letter to the Dutch Parliament notes that more infections are expected to be detected in the coming weeks, and that as human-human infection rates decline, mink-human infection could increase the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 in humans. All fur farms in the Netherlands are now undergoing mandatory screening, and measures have been put in place including a restriction on both farm visitors and the transportation of mink. Cordons were put in place around the infected farms, and residents advised not to go within 400 meters of the farms. Initial tests confirmed that virus particles had been found in the dust of some of the mink sheds.

Non-infected farms will be required to continue to follow current measures and to submit carcasses of “naturally” deceased animals each week. Mandatory testing of all Dutch mink farms is in progress and the results are due from those tests next week.

Mink fur farming was banned in the Netherlands in 2013 with a deadline for complete phase out by 2024. The Netherlands farmed around 4.5million mink in 2018. HSI is supporting calls by Dutch animal organisations for the closure of the approximately 128 fur farms that remain to be fast tracked in light of the COVID-19 risk. The Ministers’ letter states that the Dutch cabinet is considering whether and how to support fur farms to voluntarily terminate their businesses before the 2024 deadline.

Claire Bass, Humane Society International’s UK Director, responded to the news by urging the United Kingdom to show world leadership with a UK fur sales ban: “Banning the cruelty of fur farming in the UK nearly two decades ago, was morally the right thing to do for animals. It’s clear from the situation in the Netherlands that mink fur farms can act as reservoirs for pathogens that put human health at risk. By continuing to allow imports of tens of millions of pounds of fur each year, the UK is effectively underwriting trade in wildlife that could act as a petri-dish for the creation and spread of future viral pathogens. We cannot lay pandemic blame at the door of those countries that commercially farm and trade in wild animals in appalling conditions while simultaneously providing markets for their products. We urge the UK governments to ban the sale of animal fur, sending a clear global message that it is not acceptable to put public health at risk for the sake of the frivolous fur fashion industry.”

Mink fur farms and COVID-19 timeline

The other main species reared on fur farms – foxes and raccoon dogs – are known to be able to become infected with SARS-CoV-related viruses, with the potential to act as intermediate hosts to pass viruses to humans. Raccoon dogs and foxes in wildlife markets in China were both found to have been infected with SARS-CoV.

Fur farming has been banned across the UK since 2003, and has been prohibited and/or is in the process of being phased-out in the following European countries: Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Croatia, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Norway, Luxembourg, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and most recently the government in Ireland has committed to ending fur farming.  Bulgaria, Lithuania, Montenegro and Ukraine are also presently considering bans on fur farming. In the United States, California became the first US state to ban fur sales in 2019 following similar bans in cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berkeley and West Hollywood. In 2020, legislators in Hawaii and Rhode Island introduced fur sales ban proposals, as have cities in Minnesota and Massachusetts.

Fur farming, however, continues in other countries with China, Denmark, Finland and Poland being the biggest producers, and globally an estimated 100 million animals are killed annually for their fur.

Take action: Sign HSI’s petition for a UK fur sales ban at hsi.org/furfreebritain

Download video of mink farms in the Netherlands (courtesy of Dutch organisations Bont voor Dieren and Animal Rights)

ENDS

Media contact:

To request an interview with HSI spokespeople (Dutch and English speakers), please contact Wendy Higgins, HSI/UK, whiggins@hsi.org

Notes:
Latest available figures show approximately 35 million mink were farmed in 2018 in Europe, including Denmark (17.6m), Poland (5m), Netherlands (4.5m), Finland (1.85m), Greece (1.2m) and Lithuania (1.2m).  Figures for the same period show that mink were farmed for their fur in China (20.7m), the United States (3.1m) and Canada (1.7m), bringing the total to approximately 60million mink globally on fur farms.

Humane Society International dismayed at listing of farmed wildlife as livestock despite COVID-19 risks

Humane Society International / China

62 dogs rescued from Yulin slaughterhouse June 2019.

WASHINGTON—Just three weeks ahead of China’s infamous Yulin dog meat festival at which thousands of dogs are killed for consumption, China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has made official its declaration that dogs are companions and not “livestock” for eating.

The official announcement today came as the Ministry published its final Directory of Genetic Resources of Livestock and Poultry, followed by a lengthy explanation of why dogs are not included in that livestock list.

Dr Peter Li, China policy specialist for animal protection group Humane Society International, which campaigns across Asia for an end to the dog and cat meat trades, welcomed the news, saying: “Now that the Chinese government has officially recognised dogs as companions and not livestock, we are hopeful that China will take stronger steps to hasten the end of the dog and cat meat trade for which millions of animals continue to suffer every year. The announcement presents cities across China with the perfect opportunity to act upon the government’s words by protecting dogs and cats from the meat trade thieves and slaughterhouses. 

In just a few weeks’ time, the dog slaughterhouses of Yulin city will fill up with terrified dogs awaiting brutal slaughter for its infamous festival. A great many of those dogs will have been stolen from homes and streets before being transported to Yulin. They will be precisely the much loved companions and helper dogs referred to in the national government’s statement as being not for food. The Yulin festival is a bloody spectacle that does not reflect the mood or eating habits of the majority of the Chinese people, and its continuation flouts the sentiment expressed by the Ministry of Agriculture. As the Ministry observed, attitudes and appetites about dogs have changed and so now it is time for Yulin’s dog slaughterhouses to lay down the butcher’s knife, and consign the festival to the history books.”

The Ministry’s official statement confirmed that the majority of people who participated in the public consultation process opposed including dogs as livestock. It went on to say that dogs have a long history of domestication from traditionally helping guard the family home, helping in hunting, to now being companions and pets, search and rescue police dogs, assisting those with visual impairment, and generally having an intimate relationship with humans. It noted that the United Nations FAO livestock list does not include dogs, and that internationally dogs are not treated as livestock. The statement concluded by reflecting on the fact that times are changing, and that people’s awareness and diets are changing too including changes in some traditions and customs regarding dogs.

The finalized livestock list includes almost all the animal species published in an earlier draft proposal. A number of wild animals are now officially declared “livestock” such as sika deer, red deer, reindeer, alpaca, guinea-fowl, ring-necked pheasant, partridge, mallard, ostrich, and the three most commonly farmed wild species for China’s fur trade – raccoon dog, silver fox and mink. A separate list of aquatic species is expected to follow.

Dr Teresa Telecky, vice president of wildlife at HSI, says: “The inclusion of wild animal species such as foxes, raccoon dogs and mink, on the finalised livestock list is highly regrettable. Intensively farming these animals in commercial captive breeding environments presents insurmountable welfare challenges as well as potential human health risks from zoonotic diseases. It is self-defeating to close wildlife markets on the one hand while on the other sanctioning the rearing of millions of wild animals in overcrowded and stressful conditions. Rebranding them as livestock instead of the wildlife that they truly are, doesn’t remove the risk to humans or the suffering of those animals. We strongly hope that China removes these species when the list is next reviewed.”

 Facts about China’s dog meat trade

  1. Thirty million dogs a year are killed across Asia for meat. There are estimated to be more than 91.49 million dogs and cats kept as pets in China. An estimated 10 million dogs a year are killed for China’s dog meat trade.
  2. The World Health Organization warns that the dog trade spreads rabies and increases the risk of cholera.
  3. Most people in China don’t eat dogs, in fact dog meat is only eaten infrequently by less than 20% of the Chinese population. A 2017 survey revealed that even in Yulin, home of the notorious dog meat festival, most people (72%) don’t regularly eat dog meat despite efforts by dog meat traders to promote it. Nationwide across China, a 2016 survey conducted by Chinese polling company Horizon, and commissioned by Chinese group China Animal Welfare Association in collaboration with Humane Society International and Avaaz, found that most Chinese citizens (64%) want to see an end to the Yulin festival, more than half (51.7%) think the dog meat trade should be completely banned, and the majority (69.5%) have never eaten dog meat.

Download video and photos of China’s dog meat trade.

ENDS

Media contact: Wendy Higgins, whiggins@hsi.org

 

 

Farmers offered $88 per porcupine, $84 per civet cat, or $17 per kg of cobra snakes

Humane Society International / China

Trevor Mogg/Alamy Stock photo Live animals for sale at a market in China in 2020

WASHINGTON—Wildlife farmers in two provinces in mainland China are being offered a government buy-out to facilitate a move away from breeding wild species for consumption, as part of the country’s crackdown on the wildlife trade in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The plans, published on May 15th, see Hunan and Jiangxi provinces provide an exit strategy for wildlife farmers who will be compensated to allow them to transition to alternative livelihoods such as growing fruit, vegetables, tea plants, or herbs for traditional Chinese medicine. Some may choose to switch to breeding other animals such as pigs and chickens.

On February 24th, the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress banned wild animal consumption for food, and wildlife campaigners at Humane Society International hope that the province-sponsored buy-out plans will help to ensure the ban is a success.

Hunan province will offer farmers compensation to the tune of 120 yuan per kilogram of cobra, king rattle snake or rat snake; 75 yuan per kilogram of bamboo rat; 630 yuan per porcupine; 600 yuan per civet cat; and 378 yuan and 2,457 yuan per wild goose and Chinese muntjac deer respectively.

Dr Peter Li, Humane Society International’s China policy specialist, said: “By subsidising wildlife breeders to transition to alternative livelihoods, these provinces are demonstrating global leadership on this issue, which other provinces and countries must now follow. Chinese farmers not only have an opportunity to leave a trade that poses a direct threat to human health – something that can no longer be tolerated in light of COVID – but also to transition to more humane and sustainable livelihoods such as growing plant foods popular in Chinese cuisine. This is a model for change that Humane Society International has been putting into practice with dog meat farmers in South Korea for some years, with dog farmers transitioning over to farming chillies, mushrooms, and water parsley. In China you can easily imagine the vast sheds that once factory farmed bamboo rats and other unfortunate wildlife, being adapted to grow mushrooms and herbs instead.”

Dr Li believes the closure of China’s destructive wildlife consumption trade could have the advantageous consequence of boosting the availability of healthy plant-based foods, in line with China’s national dietary guidelines recommending a 50% reduction in meat consumption. “People in China are increasingly interested in plant-based foods, in fact, a more plant-centred diet is far more traditional than one based on wildlife meats, or intensively farmed domesticated animals, as Chinese cuisines have led the way with plant proteins such as tofu and seitan.”

The buy-out plan does have a blind spot, it does not include the vast number of wild animals bred in China not for consumption but for fur, traditional Chinese medicine and for entertainment/pet trade/display. China’s overall wildlife trade is worth around 520 billion yuan ($73 billion/£57 billion), but although global focus has understandably been on wildlife consumption trade worth 125 billion yuan ($18 billion/£14 billion), the largest proportion of China’s wildlife farming – the fur industry worth 389 billion yuan ($55 billion/£43billion) annually – is conspicuous by its absence from any COVID-19 related bans or buy-outs. In fact there are plans afoot in China to reclassify the millions of raccoon dogs, foxes and mink farmed for fur from “wildlife” to “livestock” as part of a new resource list by the Ministry of Agriculture, State Forestry and Grassland Bureau.

Dr Teresa Telecky, HSI’s vice president of wildlife, said: “Rebranding fur-bearing wildlife as livestock doesn’t alter the fact that there are insurmountable challenges to keeping these species in commercial captive breeding environments, and that their welfare needs simply can’t be met. In addition, there’s clear evidence that some of these species can act as intermediate hosts of viruses, such as COVID-19, which is why governments around the world must stop all trading in wildlife.”

As part of the buy-out plans in Hunan and Jiangxi provinces, the fate of the wildlife stock is also a welfare issue of concern. There are three options proposed – release of animals into the wild in suitable and non-residential habitat; utilisation by other industries such as zoos, laboratory research, and traditional medicine; or mass culling.

HSI’s Dr Li said: “While the transition of wildlife farmers to other livelihoods is of course a very positive move for both people and animals, a really sad inevitable consequence of that is that a vast number of the wild animals being mass produced on farms across China will likely be culled or moved to other exploitative industries such as zoos and traditional medicine where animal welfare is typically extremely low and conditions woefully sub-standard. Culling programs in China and other countries in Asia can also involve truly barbaric methods such as live burial, and so we really hope to see the Chinese authorities mandating against such cruelty. The wild animal breeding farms and factories facing closure and transition must not sacrifice animal welfare in an effort to implement the new changes.”

Only farms that have been operating legally with breeding permits before February 24th are eligible for compensation. The initial roll-out covers 14 species of farmed wildlife. A second group of farmed species will be announced after the finalisation of the government’s “livestock” list.

ENDS

Media contact: Wendy Higgins, Director of International Media – whiggins@hsi.org

Humane Society International dismayed that farmed wildlife are listed as livestock despite COVID-19 risks

Humane Society International / China

Dogs rescued from a slaughterhouse in Yulin, China, June 2019.

BEIJING—China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has for the first time ever explicitly stated that dogs are companion animals and not “livestock,” in what could potentially be a game-changer moment for Chinese regional governments to follow the lead of Shenzhen city and ban the eating of cats and dogs, says long time anti-dog meat campaigners Humane Society International.

The draft document of the National Catalogue of Livestock and Poultry Genetic Resources was published by the national government on April 8th, which is currently accepting input from Chinese animal protection groups on the policy. It provides a list of animals considered “livestock” including pigs, ducks, chickens and others but omits dogs and cats. The livestock list proposes the only species that can be traded for meat, and the Ministry provides the first ever explanation for their omission, stating:

“With the progress of human civilization and the public’s concern and preference for animal protection, dogs have changed from traditional domestic animals to companion animals. Dogs are generally not regarded as livestock and poultry around the world, and China should also not manage them as livestock and poultry.”

Dogs and cats have never been listed as “livestock” before, but the national government in China has never officially commented on their omission until now. Coming so soon after the city of Shenzhen became the first city in mainland China to ban the consumption of dogs and cats, Humane Society International is hopeful that this could signal a critically important shift in China’s desire to see an end to the dog and cat meat trade.

Dr. Peter Li, China policy specialist at Humane Society International, says: “This is the first time we’ve ever seen China’s national government explain that dogs are companion animals. Recognizing that dogs hold a special bond with humans is an essential first step towards eliminating the consumption and trade in dog meat.  This could be a pivotal moment that provides encouragement for other cities across the country to follow Shenzhen’s lead to ban the eating of dogs and cats.

“Companion animals have never been part of China’s culinary mainstream, and certainly most people in China want an end to the theft of their companion animals for a meat trade that only a small percentage of the population indulge in. Tens of millions of dogs and cats every year, mostly stolen pets, suffer for the meat trade which is almost entirely fuelled by crime and, perhaps most significantly right now, poses an undeniable human health threat with the risk of diseases such as rabies and cholera.”

The proposed livestock list also includes a variety of farmed wildlife species such as Sika deer, red deer, reindeer, alpaca, ostrich, as well as species typically farmed in their millions in China for the global fur trade, specifically mink, silver fox, blue fox and raccoon dog.

Dr. Teresa Telecky, vice president of wildlife at HSI, says: “Listing wild animals, including foxes and raccoon dogs, as ‘special livestock’ is concerning. Rebranding wildlife as livestock doesn’t alter the fact that there are insurmountable challenges to keeping these species in commercial captive breeding environments, and that their welfare needs simply can’t be met. In addition, there’s clear evidence that some of these species can act as intermediate hosts of viruses, such as COVID-19, which is why we’re urging governments around the world to stop trading in wildlife.”

Facts about China’s dog meat trade

  1. Thirty million dogs a year are killed across Asia for meat. There are estimated to be more than 91.49 million dogs and cats kept as pets in China. An estimated 10 million dogs a year are killed for China’s dog meat trade.
  2. The World Health Organisation warns that the dog trade spreads rabies and increases the risk of cholera.
  3. Most people in China don’t eat dogs, in fact dog meat is only eaten infrequently by less than 20% of the Chinese population. A 2017 survey revealed that even in Yulin, home of the notorious dog meat festival, most people (72%) don’t regularly eat dog meat despite efforts by dog meat traders to promote it. Nationwide across China, a 2016 survey conducted by Chinese polling company Horizon, and commissioned by Chinese group China Animal Welfare Association in collaboration with Humane Society International and Avaaz, found that most Chinese citizens (64%) want to see an end to the Yulin festival, more than half (51.7%) think the dog meat trade should be completely banned, and the majority (69.5%) have never eaten dog meat.
  4. Shenzhen’s food safety legislation (Shenzhen Special Economic Region Regulation on a Comprehensive Ban on the Consumption of Wild Animals) was first proposed in February by Shenzhen legislators, and comes into effect on 1st May. Article 3 makes clear that the consumption of “pet” animals such as cats and dogs is not permitted.

Download video and photos of China’s dog meat trade.

END

Media contact: Wendy Higgins, whiggins@hsi.org

Pete urges fans to ditch fur, calls for UK fur sales ban after witnessing dead animals, tiny fox cubs and horrifically injured mink suffering on fur farms

Humane Society International / United Kingdom

LONDON–A new undercover investigation by TV’s Pete Wicks and animal charity Humane Society International/UK reveals deplorable conditions and distressing animal suffering on fur farms in Finland, a country that exports millions of pounds worth of fur to the UK. The investigation by HSI/UK in partnership with Finnish animal protection organisation Oikeutta Eläimille found tiny fox cubs struggling to walk across wire mesh cage floors, dead mink and foxes, and animals suffering from untreated wounds including a live mink whose head was partially cannibalised by cage mates. 

Pete Wicks recorded an emotionally-charged video for his fans showing footage from the farm. Pete told fans that fur farms are “far worse than I ever imagined,” and called the fur trade “cruel and disgusting.” Pete asked his followers not to buy fur, and shared HSI’s petition calling on the British government to ban fur sales in the UK.

Pete’s video and additional footage and images from from the investigation can be seen here.

If you are interested in interviewing Pete please contact Harriet Barclay, HBarclay@hsi.org 

The UK banned fur farming in 2000 on ethical grounds, but since then has allowed imports of more than £820 million worth of fur from overseas, including Finland. Since the ban the UK imported more than £14 million worth of fur from Finland, and HM Revenue and Customs figures also show sizeable imports from a range of other countries such as Italy, France, Poland, China and Russia. In 2019 so far fur imports to the UK total £25.7million, including over £2.5million from China alone. Finland is by far the biggest ‘producer’ of fox fur in Europe, rearing and electrocuting around 2.5 million foxes every year for the global fur trade; only China farms more foxes globally.

The fur trade claims that the majority of fur farms in Finland are so-called ‘high welfare’, so HSI campaigners took celebrity supporter Pete Wicks to Finland to see for themselves. They found distressing animal suffering across all 13 of the fur farms visited between April and October 2019, with Pete accompanying them to two of those farms.

Pete Wicks said “Despite having seen lots of fur farm footage, nothing could have prepared me for the suffering I saw when I investigated fur farms in Finland with HSI/UK. It was sickening, I really don’t believe that anyone who has seen the state of these poor animals – terrified and trapped in tiny cages – would ever wear fur again. It is great that the UK banned fur farming, but it doesn’t make sense that we’re still selling fur from farms like the ones I visited in Finland.  So I hope this new footage will help HSI/UK’s #FurFreeBritain campaign persuade politicians that fur cruelty should be banned from UK shop shelves.”

Finland is by far the biggest ‘producer’ of fox fur in Europe, rearing and electrocuting around 2.5 million foxes every year for the global fur trade; only China farms more foxes globally. UK fur imports are a double standard that HSI/UK through its #FurFreeBritain campaign is urging the government to address by introducing a ban on UK fur sales.

Claire Bass, executive director of Humane Society International/UK, who investigated the fur farms, said: “We saw a few hundred of the millions of foxes and mink trapped in miles of battery cages in Finland. These poor young animals exist only as vessels for their fur, as broken and tormented souls. We saw weeping eye infections, infected wounds, dead cubs and cannibalism; all of this suffering to provide a frivolous product that the fashion industry does not need. It’s important for consumers, designers and politicians to see that awful reality laid bare, that despite what the fur trade tries to portray on catwalks there is nothing glamorous about fur. As long as the UK allows British businesses to trade in fur, we are complicit in the cruelty. Britain was the first country in the world to ban fur farming, now it’s time for us  to finish the job and become the first country in the world to ban fur sales too.”  

Kristo Muurimaa of Finnish animal protection organisation Oikeutta Elaimille, who accompanied HSI/UK on the fur farm visits, and visited additional Finnish farms, said: “During my work as an investigator, I have visited almost a hundred fur farms in Finland and other countries. Sadly, the appalling things we witnessed on the investigation with HSI/UK are far from the exception. Small, barren cages and suffering of the animals are the norm in the fur industry.”

HSI’s petition calling for the UK government to ban UK fur sales can be signed here: www.hsi.org/FurFreeBritain

Fur facts:

  • In 2016 the value of fur imported into the UK was £55.6 million. A provisional estimate of the number of animal skins that equates to in that year is approximately 2,000,000.
  • Britain imports and sells the fur of a variety of species, including fox, rabbit, mink, coyote, raccoon dog and chinchilla. Fur imports from dogs, cats and commercial seal hunts are banned across the EU, and HSI wants those existing bans extended to protect all fur-bearing species.
  • Britain imports and sells the fur of a variety of species, including fox, rabbit, mink, coyote, raccoon dog and chinchilla. Fur imports from dogs, cats and commercial seal hunts are banned across the EU, and HSI wants those existing bans extended to protect all fur-bearing species.
  • Since the United Kingdom banned fur farming on ethical grounds in 2000, more than a dozen countries in Europe, including Austria, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Norway, have legislated against the practice. The government in Ireland agreed, in June this year, to phase out fur farming and draft legislation to end the practice has also been presented to the parliaments of both Bulgaria and Slovakia this autumn. Several cities in the United States, including San Francisco, West Hollywood and Los Angeles have all introduced fur sales bans and a bill to outlaw the sale and manufacture of new fur products across the state of California was passed last week.
  • In addition to the physical and psychological torment of being confined in small, barren cages for the animals’ entire lives, the killing methods typically used on fur farms are equally distressing. Mink are killed by gassing, and fox and raccoon dogs are killed by anal electrocution.
  • An increasing number of fashion designers and retailers are dropping fur cruelty. In the last two years alone Prada, Gucci, Versace, Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo, DKNY, Burberry, Chanel and other high-profile brands have announced fur-free policies. In addition, online fashion retail platforms Net-A-Porter and Farfetch have introduced no-fur policies.

Media contact:

HSI UK: Harriet Barclay, HBarclay@hsi.org, office: 02039767962, mobile: 07794354596

 

British Government under increasing pressure from #FurFreeBritain campaign to end UK fur sales after California’s historic ban

Humane Society International / United States

Jillian Cooper/iStock.com Wild mink

LONDON—California has made history today by becoming the first U.S. State to ban the sale of animal fur. Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 44 into law, banning all new fur sales and manufacturing in California. The law, which comes into effect in January 2023, has been welcomed by Humane Society International which hopes it will inspire fur sales bans around the world. In the United Kingdom, Humane Society International’s #FurFreeBritain campaign is urging the UK to follow in California’s footsteps by becoming the first country in the world to ban the sale of animal fur.

The United Kingdom, which was the first country in the world to ban fur farming on ethical grounds back in 2000, still allows imports of animal fur from other countries such as Finland, Poland and China.

Claire Bass, Executive Director of Humane Society International/UK, says, “California has made history by becoming the first U.S state to ban the sale of animal fur, signifying the growing distaste for fur products by consumers who want to see compassion in fashion. It is deeply immoral for animals to suffer miserable lives and painful deaths just to end up as a bobble hat or coat trim, and this ban sends a powerful message to the fur trade that its business model is unethical and its days are numbered. Now is the time for the UK to join the trailblazing to shut down markets for this cruel and outdated industry. We banned fur farming here two decades ago for being inhumane, but now we allow tens of millions of pounds of fur to be imported; by effectively outsourcing cruelty we’ve only done half the job. Our #FurFreeBritain campaign is calling on the British government to follow in California’s footsteps, and make the UK the first country in the world to ban the sale of animal fur.”

California’s bill was introduced by Assemblymember Laura Friedman last December and sponsored by HSI/UK’s sister organisation the Humane Society of the United States, and Animal Hope and Wellness. It passed six committees and the full Assembly and Senate with overwhelming support. It had many notable supporters among the fashion industry, including InStyle magazine, Stella McCartney, Diane von Furstenberg, 3.1 Phillip Lim, HUGO BOSS, Patagonia, H&M, GAP, J.Crew, Madewell, Des Kohan, Hiraeth and Inditex/Zara.

California’s ban increases the pressure on the UK government to ban the sale of animal fur in Britain. The #FurFreeBritain campaign, launched by HSI/UK, argues that if fur is too cruel to produce in Britain, it is too cruel to sell in Britain. The campaign, backed by celebrities such as Dame Judi Dench, Paloma Faith, Ricky Gervais and Thandie Newton, has strong cross-party political support with MPs Zac Goldsmith, John McDonnell and Jo Swinson in favour of a ban. A UK fur sales ban is also included in the Labour party’s animal welfare plan, published last month. Earlier this month Islington became the first London Borough to ban the sale of fur.

Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, says, ““The signing of AB 44 underscores the point that today’s consumers simply don’t want wild animals to suffer extreme pain and fear for the sake of fashion. More cities, states and countries are expected to follow California’s lead, and the few brands and retailers that still sell fur will no doubt take a closer look at innovative alternatives that don’t involve animal cruelty.”

Humane Society International expects more state-wide bans to follow quickly, as similar bills have been introduced in Hawaii and New York. Los Angeles, San Francisco, West Hollywood and Berkeley have already implemented fur sales bans.

Fur facts:

  • More than 100 million animals globally are reported to be killed every year for their fur. In addition to the physical and psychological torment of being confined in small, barren cages for their entire lives, the killing methods typically used on fur farms are equally distressing. Mink are killed by gassing, and fox and raccoon dogs are killed by anal electrocution.
  • An increasing number of fashion designers and retailers are dropping fur cruelty. In the last two years alone Prada, Gucci, Versace, Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo, DKNY, Burberry, Chanel and other high-profile brands have announced fur-free policies. In addition, online fashion retail platforms Net-a-porter and Farfetch have introduced no-fur policies.
  • Britain imports and sells the fur of a variety of species, including fox, rabbit, mink, coyote, raccoon dog and chinchilla. Fur imports from dogs, cats and seals killed during commercial hunts are banned across the EU, and HSI wants those existing bans extended to protect all fur-bearing species. In 2016 the value of fur imported into the UK was £55.6 million. A provisional estimate of the number of animal skins that equates to in that year is approximately 2,000,000 (1,720,000 mink, 110,000 fox, 90,000 raccoon dog and 80,000 skins from animals trapped in the wild, such as  coyote, lynx, beaver and otter).

Download fur farm photos and video here: 

China fox and raccoon dog, December 2015: https://newsroom.humanesociety.org/video/video.php?bctid=4752416793001&channel=973092892001

Fur: China rabbit fur farm, December 2015: https://newsroom.humanesociety.org/fetcher/index.php?searchMerlin=1&searchBrightcove=1&submitted=1&mw=d&q=ChinaRabbit0719

ENDS

Media contact:

United Kingdom – Wendy Higgins whiggins@hsi.org

 

Learn More Button Inserter