These iconic animals return to their natural habitat, thanks to NGOs, ARCAS and HSI/Latin America
Humane Society International / Latin America
HSI
PETEN, Guatemala—Thirteen spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi), an iconic species in Latin America, were released in the Yaxha Nakum Naranjo National Park, in Peten, Guatemala, after they were rescued from illegal trafficking and went through a rigorous rehabilitation process.
These mammals’ release resulted from a joint effort by non-governmental, non-profit organizations, Asociacion Rescate y Conservacion de Vida Silvestre and Humane Society International/Latin America, who have been working together since 2007 in wildlife protection and conservation in Guatemala.
Under the guidance of the National Council for Protected Areas, ARCAS Wildlife Rescue Center and HSI staff facilitated the return of 13 spider monkeys to the forest; some, victims of wildlife trafficking and others, of negative interaction with human beings.
According to ARCAS director, Fernando Martinez, its rescue center carries out physical, medical and ethological rehabilitation of the different species that enter the facility as a result of illegal trafficking. ARCAS’ approach follows strict scientific management standards and results in animals being released in the Maya Biosphere Reserve.
“The Rescue Center’s mission is to reinforce existing wildlife populations, to prevent the extinction of species, and thus ensuring that there are healthy populations capable of adapting and reproducing in their natural habitat,” Martinez said.
Grettel Delgadillo, deputy director for HSI/Latin America, explained that negative interactions between people and wildlife are becoming more frequent in Guatemala, as well as the illegal trafficking of animals such as spider monkeys.
“That is why at HSI/Latin America and ARCAS we work to ensure a successful rehabilitation of these animals and thus give them a second chance to live in freedom. Also, through different education and public awareness initiatives, we urge everyone to refrain from buying these animals as pets, to not purchase objects that contain parts or derivatives of wild animals, and to report to the authorities any suspicious activity regarding wildlife,” Delgadillo said.
The released spider monkeys will be monitored for six months, using telemetric collars and follow-up in the field.
Humane Society International / South Africa
Urge the South African government to prohibit keeping big cats as pets and commodities and ban public contact with them.
HSI/UK releases footage of animal suffering on fur farms in China, which exports millions of pounds worth of fur to the UK, renewing calls for a UK import and sales ban
Humane Society International / United Kingdom
HSI
LONDON—Heart-wrenching scenes of baby foxes, raccoon dogs and minks suffering on Chinese fur farms have been released by Humane Society International/UK as the animal protection charity renews calls for a ban on UK fur imports and sales. Millions of pounds worth of fur from China is imported into Britain every year, despite the UK having banned fur farming two decades ago on ethical grounds.
HSI’s investigation at nine fur farms in northern China — one of the world’s largest fur producing countries — focuses on a side of the fur trade rarely exposed in investigations, the suffering of babies and their mothers forced to live in cramped, filthy, unnatural conditions. Many of the older animals were found to be exhibiting behaviours signifying psychological distress, such as repetitively pacing their tiny cages. The film also showed a raccoon dog cub struggling to walk on wire mesh floor in a cage, adult foxes peering out from cages barely longer than their body length, and mink circling around in dirty cages, above piles of excrement.
Fur farming has been illegal in the UK since the Fur Farming (Prohibition) Acts came into force in 2003. Despite this, His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs records show that £28,492,281 of fur has been imported to the UK from China in the last five years. HSI/UK is urging the Government to end this double standard by banning imports and sales of fur in the UK.
Claire Bass, senior director of campaigns and public affairs at Humane Society International/UK, said: “HSI’s latest investigation has once again highlighted the inhumane treatment animals suffer as fur fashion victims. The fur trade would prefer that the grim realities of fur farming were out of sight and out of mind, but as a country we owe it to these animals not to turn away, and to stop being complicit in their suffering. Many Britons will be horrified to find out that it is perfectly legal for fur from farms like those we investigated to be sold in Britain. A fur sales ban has the backing of over three quarters of the public, and should be an open goal for this Government to deliver on its ambition to be a world leader in animal welfare.”
National polling carried out in April 2022 revealed that 77% of British citizens think the Government should ban the importation of animal products such as fur, where the production methods are already banned in the UK. The #FurFreeBritain campaign has so far gathered over 1.1 million petition signatures calling on the UK to ban fur imports and sales.
In its Action Plan for Animal Welfare in 2021, the Government stated: “Fur farming has been banned on ethical grounds in England and Wales since 2000, and since 2002 in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Whilst there are existing import restrictions on seal, cat and dog fur, it is still possible to import other fur from abroad, so we will explore potential action in this area.”
In May 2021 the UK Government launched a Call for Evidence on the UK fur trade, with the stated intention of using the findings to inform possible future action. Around 30,000 responses were submitted before the consultation closed in June 2021, but 18 months on, officials are yet to release the results, or set out a policy response.
Humane Society International/UK celebrates “iconic moment” towards a #FurFreeBritain
Humane Society International / United Kingdom
Erik Mandre/Alamy
LONDON—British department store Harvey Nichols has confirmed that it will stop selling fur by the end of 2023, following an investigation into Chinese fur farms by animal protection organisation Humane Society International/UK.
Responding to the news, Claire Bass, senior director of campaigns and public affairs at Humane Society International/UK, said: “Harvey Nichols going fur free is an iconic moment in our campaign for a Fur Free Britain. This world famous British department store has come to the inevitable conclusion that so-called ‘ethical fur’ simply doesn’t exist and fur farming flies in the face of any credible notion of sustainability. Harvey Nichols’ compassionate stance now leaves the handful of remaining retailers that continue to sell fur looking increasingly isolated.”
The news was confirmed today in a statement to The Mirror. When asked if Harvey Nichols will continue to sell fur products, following Humane Society International/UK’s latest investigation footage from fur farms in China, a spokesperson said: “As part of our ongoing review of these practices and continued sustainability initiatives, Harvey Nichols confirms that it will phase out the sale of fur or fur-trimmed products both online and in stores, to be completely fur-free by the end of 2023.”
The well-known retail chain previously introduced a fur-free policy in 2004, however in 2013 it reneged on this policy and started selling fur products again. As of December 2022, Harvey Nichols was selling fur products from several brands including Yves Solomon, CP Company, Canada Goose, and Moncler. The latter two companies have previously also made commitments to phase-out fur from their designs, with Canada Goose stating they would stop manufacturing fur at the end of 2022, and Moncler stating their last collection using fur will be Autumn/Winter 2023.
HSI/UK wrote to Harvey Nichols in 2022 setting out the many ways in which conditions for animals on fur farms are fundamentally incompatible with the company’s Animal Sourcing Policy, which sets out a commitment to ethical treatment of animals, including ensuring freedom from fear, pain, distress and injury, and freedom to express normal behaviours in sufficient space.
The announcement makes Harvey Nichols the latest in a long line of retailers and designers that have turned their backs on fur in recent years, including Frasers Group, Farfetch, Net-a-Porter, Burberry, Chanel and Prada. The announcement signifies the accelerating decline of the fur trade and adds further pressure to the few remaining fashion brands that continue to sell fur to follow suit.
Humane Society International/UK works to end the fur trade globally and leads the #FurFreeBritain campaign for a UK fur imports and sales ban.
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Media contact: Sally Ivens: 07590 559299; sivens@hsi.org
Ricky Gervais and Pete Wicks lend their support to Fur Free Britain campaign as Humane Society International/UK and FOUR PAWS UK launch new investigation and report exposing cruelty of global fur trade
Humane Society International / United Kingdom
HSI
LONDON—Politicians, celebrities and campaigners gathered in Parliament today to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the UK becoming the first country to ban fur farming, and to urge the UK Government to ‘finish the job’ by banning fur imports and sales. The Only Way Is Essex star Pete Wicks attended and spoke about his previous visit to fur farms, and a new video message in support of the #FurFreeBritain campaign from comedian and actor Ricky Gervais was shown.
Two decades after the last fur farm closed down, the UK continues to allow imports of fur from animals farmed and trapped overseas, creating an unacceptable double-standard. If fur is too cruel to produce here, it is too cruel to sell here, argue the campaigners.
With the support of 35 cross-party MPs, including Elliott Coburn, Maria Eagle, Baroness Jenny Jones and Dr Lisa Cameron who attended a Parliamentary reception sponsored by Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) Daniel Zeichner MP in the House of Commons today, FOUR PAWS UK released a new report demonstrating the scale of abuse inherent in the trade and the role the UK continues to play in this cruelty. Attendees watched footage from Humane Society International/UK’s new investigation, undertaken on multiple fur farms in China, revealing the extreme suffering endured by raccoon dogs, mink and foxes for fur fashion. The shocking scenes showed baby animals kept in filthy, barren conditions, with many of the older animals found to be exhibiting signs of mental distress such as pacing and circling their tiny cages.
TOWIE star Pete Wicks was at the event supporting the call for a #FurFreeBritain. Reflecting on his experience of visiting Finnish fur farms with HSI/UK, Pete said: “Nothing can prepare you for how truly awful the fur trade is for these poor animals. We saw dead animals lying in the cages, fox cubs’ tiny paws falling through the wire mesh floor, and even one mink with a head wound being eaten alive by his cage mates. Looking into the eyes of these desperate animals, knowing that they were suffering simply to end up as a bobble on a hat, or a trim on a coat was so shocking. And to know that they could easily be killed for fur that ends up being sold in UK shops, was really upsetting. We simply cannot call ourselves a nation of animal lovers for as long as this cruelty is still being imported here, and while it’s still legal for it to be sold in our shops.”
In a video message, Ricky Gervais said: “The UK was the first country in the world to ban cruel fur farming, but 20 years later, the UK still has blood on its hands by importing fur from overseas. My message to the UK government is simple – end this double standard and BAN fur imports.”
There is strong public backing for a fur sales ban, with over 1.1 million signatures collected to date in support of a #FurFreeBritain. An April 2022 poll revealed 77% of British voters think the UK Government should ban the importation of animal products such as fur, where production methods are already banned in the country. The Government ran a consultation on the UK fur trade in May 2021 which amassed 30,000 responses, but has still not released the results.
Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) Daniel Zeichner: “Twenty years ago this month, the then Labour Government shut down the last UK fur farms for good when the Fur Farming (Prohibition) Act came into force. However, 20 years on, despite the UK’s strong and unequivocal ethical stand against fur, we are now outsourcing our cruelty overseas. A Labour Government would take action on this double standard and deliver a fur free Britain.”
Elliot Colburn, MP for Carshalton and Wallington said: “The British public rightly has high expectations that the government will deliver promised improvements in the laws that protect animals, and it’s important that we set high standards for the products that we allow to be imported and sold here. We rightly banned fur farming across the UK because it’s so cruel, and now we have the opportunity to lead the way again by banning fur sales, as California has done. The Government has already gathered 30,000 responses in its call for evidence on the UK fur trade, I look forward to seeing the results, which will undoubtedly help inform and underpin a strong policy position.”
Claire Bass, senior director of campaigns and public affairs at Humane Society International/UK, said: “Action on banning the UK’s trade in fur, and other hugely popular and promised animal welfare legislation, has been kicked into the long grass since last summer, and we urge Rishi Sunak and Therese Coffey to get back on track to deliver the Government’s much-applauded Action Plan for Animal Welfare. As politicians and the public start looking at what might be on the menu in manifestos for the next election, committing to ban the cruel and unnecessary fur trade is a wide open goal for all political parties, and we’re delighted with the strong cross-party support for the campaign. The future of fashion is fur free so the sooner we stop trading in cruelty the sooner the suffering overseas stops.”
Sonul Badiani-Hamment, FOUR PAWS UK country director, said: “Globally, the UK is lagging behind and propping up a dying industry. In 2021 Israel became the world’s first country to prohibit the sale of fur and 12 US towns and states have also banned fur sales. And it’s not just governments taking action; from the runways to the high street, the fashion industry has been leading the way for decades, with retailers and consumers alike shunning the cruel and exploitative fur trade. As we mark two decades since fur farming was banned in the UK, it is high time we fully address the UK’s role in what is left of the fur trade and stop importing and exporting cruelty for good. Only by embracing a Fur Free Britain can we help save the lives of millions of animals who are needlessly killed for this abhorrent trade.”
The Parliamentary reception coincided with the launch of an official e-petition calling on the Government to ban the import and sale of fur from all species.
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Media contact: Sally Ivens: 07590 559299; sivens@hsi.org
Over 80 exhibitors to sell trophy hunting trips to kill precious wildlife at Jagd & Hund
Humane Society International / Europe
Jagd & Hund trophy hunting convention in Dortmund Germany January 2020, HSI.
BRUSSELS—From 24 to 29 January, Europe’s largest hunting fair will take place in Dortmund, Germany. Over 80 national and international exhibitors from Canada, Argentina, Namibia, South Africa, Germany, Spain, Poland and others, will attend Jagd & Hund 2023, offering trophy hunting trips, that cost between a few hundred and tens of thousands of euros, around the world to kill elephants, big cats, rhinos, polar bears and numerous other iconic species. In a joint letter with 30 organizations, Humane Society International/Europe called on Mayor Thomas Westphal and the Dortmund City Council to stop the selling of trophy hunting trips in the Westfalenhallen, the location for the fair.
For years, Humane Society International has been raising the alarm over the impacts that hunting fairs offering trophy hunts like Jagd & Hund have on wildlife product demand, animal welfare and biological diversity. Between 2014 and 2020, trophies of 5,409 animals of internationally protected species were imported into Germany, including 194 leopards, 208 brown bears, 166 hippos 229 elephants, 138 lions, nine polar bears and two black rhinos. Many of these animals were killed because of the hunts sold at hunting fairs such as the Jagd & Hund. It is time for industry and governments—from city councils up through national and international offices—to end their support of trophy hunting.
Sylvie Kremerskothen Gleason, country director of HSI/Europe in Germany, says: “It is not acceptable that in 2023 trophy hunting outfitters are still legally selling trips to shoot protected species for fun and games at a fair in Germany. For years we have been urging the responsible authorities in Dortmund to exclude these offers – but they keep silent and in doing so, support this gruesome industry that adds an additional danger to the survival of species that are already struggling to survive. It is long overdue that a stand is taken against trophy hunting of imperiled species.”
Dr. Jane Goodall DBE, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN peace ambassador, is also appealing to those responsible: “The fact that hunting trophies of rare and endangered species are still legal is absolutely shocking! Please stop the sale of organized trophy hunting trips in the context of the ‘Jagd & Hund’ fair in Dortmund. Support thereby the animal and species protection!”
The Wildlife Animal Protection Forum South Africa—a coalition of non-governmental organizations in South Africa, which is a significant range state for many hunted species—also spoke out against the hunting fair and wrote an open letter to the Mayor of Dortmund. The letter was signed by more than 90 supportive organisations mainly from South Africa, including members of forum and of the Pro Elephant Network and was endorsed by world renowned wildlife conservationists, wildlife veterinarians, international dignitaries, politicians and environmental lawyers.
Trophy hunting is a form of entertainment rooted in wealth and pageantry that results in both severe cases of animal harm and far reaching damaging biological and ecological impacts. Yet, more than 120,000 animals are killed in Africa each year by big game hunters. The EU is the second largest importer of hunting trophies from internationally protected species, behind the United States. Germany is by far the greatest importer within the EU.
HSI/Europe is particularly concerned about the trophy hunting industry’s promotion of inhumane killing methods advertised at the Jagd & Hund fair and has already identified multiple travel offers for hunts being sold at the fair that promote hunting methods banned in Germany because of their inhumane nature, such as bow hunting. It also appears that many vendors are already in violation of exhibition regulations for the fair which clearly state that the marketing of “shooting opportunities” is forbidden for bred animals as well as for animals who are kept in closed areas—called canned or captive hunting. However, vendors were identified that advertise canned hunting trips for sale ahead of the fair.
Trophy hunting undermines international efforts to protect imperiled species, drives global demand for animal parts and products, and calls into question ethics around sport hunting as a form of sustainable use, as highlighted in a letter sent to the German Government by the IUCN Ethics Specialist Group calling for an end to German imports of hunting trophies from regulated species. In the 2020 election campaign, Mayor Westphal promised, if he took office, to set up an ethics committee to objectively examine the issue of trophy hunting and the corresponding marketing at the fair. To date, this ethics commission has not been appointed.
Trophy hunts allowed at fair despite overwhelming public opposition:
Despite overwhelming public opposition to trophy hunting—including from the majority of Germans—Dortmund’s government and exhibition centers have continued to facilitate the slaughter of thousands of animals by allowing these fairs to continue year after year. Opinion polls show that the vast majority of EU citizens (over 80%) oppose trophy hunting and want to end trophy imports. In South Africa, one of the most popular destinations for German hunting tourists, 68% of the respondents across all social backgrounds reject trophy hunting.
Many governments and industry leaders are already taking action to end their involvement in the trophy hunting industry. Some of the world’s largest travel providers, including Booking.com, TripAdvisor and Expedia Group, called on the South African government to end trophy hunting and focus on a wildlife-friendly future. There are also more than 170 NGOs from around the world calling for an end to trophy hunting, and the European Parliament recently positioned itself in favor of an EU-wide ban on the import of hunting trophies. The Netherlands, Finland and France already ban the import of hunting trophies of certain species. The UK, Belgium, Italy, Spain and Poland are also discussing this. In addition, Germany withdrew from the International Hunting Council CIC at the turn of the year. The Westfallenhallen should take note that in Italy, the IEG Italian Exhibition Group SpA recently cancelled their country’s largest hunting fair, highlighting its conflict with the company’s ecological values.
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Media contact: Adeline Fischer, senior communications manager for HSI/Europe: afischer@hsi.org; +49 17631063219
The UK has imported more than £16million of fur from Finland since 2000
Humane Society International / United Kingdom
Oikeutta eläimille
LONDON—Shocking footage showing fur-farmed foxes in Finland with weeping and swollen infected eyes and ears; injured and bloodied tails; and deformed, splayed feet has been released by animal protection groups Oikeutta eläimille and Humane Society International/UK. The footage also shows obese “monster foxes” with huge skin folds from selective breeding; and baby foxes cannibalising their dead siblings.
The footage exposes the suffering of animals for fur fashion, even in a country like Finland where the fur trade boasts that almost 100% of fox fur farms are certified by the fur trade’s SAGA Furs assurance scheme. The scheme promises “the highest level of animal welfare”, but the atrocious conditions documented show a different story. Fox fur originating from Finland is used by brands including Fendi, Yves Salomon, Woolrich, Herno, Ermanno Scervino and Max Mara, and is seen in stores including Harrods and Harvey Nichols.
The exposé comes as more than 1.2 million EU citizens so far have signed the EU-wide “Fur-Free Europe” European Citizens’ Initiative petition calling on the European Commission to ban the farming and sale of fur in the EU. The shocking footage also shines a spotlight on the UK’s fur trading double standard because since banning fur farming in 2000, the UK has imported more than £16million of fur from Finland.
Through its #FurFreeBritain campaign, HSI/UK is urging the government to end this by banning UK fur imports, a move supported by 77% of the British public. A petition calling for a ban on the sale and import of fur in Britain currently stands at over 1.1million signatures.
Claire Bass, senior director of public affairs at Humane Society International/UK, said: “The suffering that millions of animals endure on fur farms, spending their entire lives in tiny barren cages, is heart breaking. Pus oozing sores, mental breakdown, and cannibalism are the reality of fur farming, and a million miles away from the glossy PR the fur trade tries to sell with its assurance schemes. The UK must stop providing a market for the fur from appallingly treated animals like these, and high-end department stores like Harrods that still sell fur should recognise that there is no such thing as responsibly-sourced fur.
“In 2021, the UK government ran a consultation on the UK fur trade to which 30,000 people responded, but 18 months later it has still not released the results or set out a policy position. For as long as the UK is part of the global fur trade, we’re complicit in this cruelty. The enormous public support for bans on fur farming and sales in both the EU and UK give politicians an overwhelming mandate to consign this cruel trade to the history books once and for all.”
Finnish animal group Oikeutta eläimille filmed at six randomly selected fur farms in the Ostrobothnia region of western Finland between June and November 2022. OE’s Kristo Muurimo said: “The majority of Finns want to ban keeping animals in barren cages just for their fur, but our politicians have failed to bring an end to the cruelty. An EU-wide ban would help the animals also in other member countries where the greed for money is valued over animal welfare. The UK, which led the way with the first fur farming ban, should certainly not be providing a market for products shamefully derived from the diseased, injured and suffering animals who are languishing in Finland’s fur farms.”
Fur facts:
More than 100 million animals are killed for their fur every year worldwide—that is equivalent to three animals dying every second, just for their fur.
Fur farming has been banned in 19 European countries (14 of which are EU member states), including the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Slovenia, Luxembourg, Malta, Ireland, Estonia, France, Italy and most recently on 22nd September 2022, Latvia. Political discussions on a ban are also underway in Romania, Lithuania, Spain and Poland. A further two countries (Switzerland and Germany) have implemented such strict regulations that fur farming has effectively ended, and three other countries (Denmark, Sweden, Hungary) have imposed measures that have ended the farming of certain species.
An increasing number of fashion designers and retailers are dropping fur cruelty. In the last few years alone, Canada Goose, Oscar de la Renta, Valentino, Gucci, Burberry, Versace, Chanel, Prada and other high-profile brands have announced fur-free policies.
The fur trade in Finland is in financial decline, with many fur farms closing down and some fur farmers in Europe diversifying or transitioning to other livelihoods such as solar panels, to secure their future.
Media contact: Wendy Higgins, director of international media: whiggins@hsi.org
Humane Society International/UK is calling on the UK government to make a #FurFreeBritain a reality in 2023
Humane Society International / United Kingdom
WildMedia/Alamy Stock
LONDON—The UK risks falling behind on animal welfare as California’s ban on fur sales has now officially taken effect, warns animal charity Humane Society International/UK. While fur farming has been banned on ethical grounds across the UK since the Fur Farming (Prohibition) Acts came into force in January 2003, two decades on it is still legal for fur from countries such as Finland and China to be imported and sold here. Using His Majesties’ Revenue and Customs figures and fur auction price data, HSI/UK estimates that the equivalent of around 1.5-2 million animals’ furs are imported annually.
California is the largest sub-national economy in the world and is predicted to soon become the fourth largest global economy. The state’s Gov. Gavin Newsom recently credited its growth on “California’s values and entrepreneurial spirit.” Momentum is also building in Europe as an official European Citizens’ Initiative petition calling for an EU-wide ban on fur farming and the import of fur products has gathered over 1.2 million signatures since it launched in May 2022. By contrast, the UK government has dragged its feet for years on banning fur imports, despite polling showing the overwhelming majority (77%) of the British public think the government should ban the import of products, such as fur, where production methods are already banned in the UK. The campaign for a #FurFreeBritain, led by Humane Society International/UK, has so far amassed more than 1 million petition signatures calling for a UK ban on fur imports and sales, as well as support from more than 80 celebrities.
Claire Bass, senior director of campaigns and public affairs at Humane Society International/UK, said: “When the UK became the first country in the world to ban fur farming, it marked us as a leader in animal protection and paved the way for many countries to follow. But 20 years on, we’re exercising a double standard. While illegal in our own backyard, millions of animals are still suffering in cramped cages overseas for frivolous fur fashion that’s shockingly permitted to be imported and sold in the UK.”
She added: “The Government’s soundbites about being a ‘world leader in animal welfare’ must be called into question when the state of California and 12 cities and towns across America have already banned fur sales, while our Ministers have been sitting on the results of a formal consultation on the UK fur trade for 18 months. Enhanced animal welfare was touted as a ‘Brexit benefit’ by the Government but so far that’s been a hollow promise; at this rate the EU will wash its hands of the disgusting fur trade before the UK does. We urge the Government to turn words into actions and adopt this extremely popular policy to deliver a #FurFreeBritain.”
In May 2021 the UK government launched a Call for Evidence on the UK fur trade, with the stated intention of using the findings to inform possible future action. The consultation closed in June 2021, but the public is still waiting for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to release these findings, despite Ministers confirming they would do so.
California’s new law makes it the first state in the U.S. to take this monumental step to end the fur trade within its borders by banning the sale and manufacturing of new animal fur products. A further 12 US cities and towns have similarly banned fur sales. California’s Assembly Bill 44, which passed in 2019, was championed by Assemblymember Laura Friedman and sponsored by the Humane Society of the United States and Animal Hope in Legislation.
Jenny Berg, California state director for the Humane Society of the United States, said: “We are grateful to California for taking a stand against the cruel fur industry by implementing this statewide ban on the production and sale of new fur products. , especially when humane, environmentally sustainable alternatives exist. We applaud California for leading the fight against fur and sending a powerful message that animals should no longer suffer and die for fashion.”
Assemblymember Laura Friedman commented: “Today marks a historic step forward for California with the implementation of a law that truly represents the values of our constituents. Californians do not want to see animals live and die in cruel ways for nothing more than fashion, and I’m so pleased that this law will help uphold our state’s animal welfare standards as well as potentially help drive innovation for more sustainable fashion alternatives.”
Before the bill’s passage, four municipalities in California – Los Angeles (2018), San Francisco (2018), Berkeley (2017) and West Hollywood (2013) – passed similar legislation, paving the way for a state-wide ban. In 2021, Israel became the first country to ban fur sales.
Facts:
More than 100 million animals are killed for their fur every year worldwide. The vast majority (around 95%) of these spend their entire lives confined in small, barren cages unable to act out their most basic behaviours such as running, digging and, in the case of mink, swimming.
The UK was the first country in the world to ban fur farming and 18 other European countries have now followed suit, including Ireland, France, Italy and most recently in September 2022, Latvia.
California’s ban applies to brick-and-mortar stores selling new fur products as well as online sales of fur products into the state.
In addition to California, similar bans have also passed in the cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berkeley and West Hollywood, and the towns of Brookline, Weston, Wellesley, Cambridge and Plymouth in Massachusetts, Ann Arbor in Michigan, Boulder in Colorado and Hallandale Beach in Florida.
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Media contact: Sally Ivens: 07590 559299; sivens@hsi.org
Humane Society International / Europe
Chinchilla fur farms in Romania 2021. HSI
Romanian Chinchilla Farm Investigation
Romanian Chinchilla Farm Investigation HSI in Romania
BUCHAREST, Romania—The Romanian Senate has voted in favour of a draft bill to ban chinchilla and mink fur farming, following an investigation by Humane Society International/Europe that exposed shocking suffering on the country’s fur farms.
Andreea Roseti, Romania country director for HSI/Europe, welcomed the vote, saying: “The broad cross-party support for this bill in the Senate strongly signals the willingness of the Romanian Parliament to put an end to the cruel practice of breeding and killing animals for fur.
HSI/Europe welcomes the quick legislative path of this bill, and hopes that when it comes to the Chamber of Deputies in the next few months, the decision-making chamber will act decisively so that Romania can become the 20th European country to ban fur farming. The European continent can be considered a trailblazer in ending the suffering of animals for fur fashion, a practice that is being rejected by consumers, designers, retailers and policymakers across the world.”
The bill was initiated in October this year, after which it was presented in the Standing Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies on 7 Nov. and submitted and recorded in the Senate on the same day.
Chinchillas and minks are the only species of fur-bearing animals who are intensively bred on fur factory farms in Romania. If successful, the ban would therefore mark the end of fur farming in the country. In September this year, HSI/Europe revealed the results of its investigation at several of Romania’s chinchilla fur farms, documenting serious animal welfare concerns, including animals confined in small, wire-mesh cages, with females forced into a cycle of almost perpetual breeding, with total disregard for the natural behaviour of the species.
The vote in Romania comes while there is also growing support across Europe for an EU-wide ban on fur farming and imports. The “Fur-Free Europe” European Citizens’ Initiative, launched in May and supported by more than 70 organisations, has already collected more than 1.1 million signatures of EU citizens.
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Media Contact:
Romania: Andreea Roseti, country director HSI/Europe in Romania: aroseti@hsi.org ; 0741-188-934
United Kingdom: Wendy Higgins, director of international media: whiggins@hsi.org
Humane Society International / Belgium
HSI
BRUSSELS—Animal protection charity Humane Society International/Europe strongly condemns Denmark’s plan to import 10,000 mink from Iceland, Norway, Spain, Poland and Finland to start a new breeding programme for fur farms once the country’s temporary mink breeding and farming ban is lifted from Jan. 1, 2023. Only around 1% of Danish fur farmers (14 out of more than 1,200 mink farm companies) applied for State Aid to re-start business if the temporary ban was lifted.
Two years ago, all Danish mink farms were shut down on government order and the animals were gassed to death following the discovery that a mink variant of the coronavirus could be transmitted to humans, and that hundreds of SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks had been recorded on mink farms across Europe. It remains unclear how the imported animals will be health screened, and if a solution is not in place in time, all the animals could potentially be killed upon arrival.
Dr Joanna Swabe, senior director of public affairs at HSI/Europe, commented: “It is contemptible that 10,000 mink are to be transported to Denmark, including 2,000 animals currently being shipped from Iceland across rough winter seas, to refill the barren wire cages on a handful of Danish fur farms whose owners decided to continue profiting quite literally off the backs of defenceless animals. This is happening as across the EU, more than one million people so far have signed an official petition calling for an end to all fur farming. Mink farms are a ticking time bomb for disease risk, and we urge both the competent national authorities and the European Commission to closely scrutinise any mass movement of potentially infectious animals, as well as act to shut down the fur trade before it delivers the next pandemic.”
With consumers and designers alike increasingly rejecting fur, the industry has been in financial decline for years. The pandemic compounded this decline, hastening the closure of fur farms in the Netherlands and the introduction of bans in several other EU countries. However, SARS-CoV-2 continues to pose a threat to public health for as long as the factory farming of mink—a species highly susceptible to this virus and a source of viral mutations—is allowed to take place.
Although Danish authorities have given the green light for fur production to resume, there is growing public support for a total ban on fur farming. Indeed, Denmark was one of the first EU Member States to reach the national threshold for signatures for the European Citizens’ Initiative for a Fur-Free Europe, which calls for a ban on all fur farming across the European Union. After just seven months, this petition has amassed more than 1.1 million signatures.
Background information on fur farming:
More than 100 million animals are killed for their fur every year worldwide—that is equivalent to three animals dying every second, just for their fur.
Fur farming has been banned in 19 European countries, including Malta, Ireland, Estonia, France, Italy and most recently Latvia on Sept. 22, 2022. Political discussions on a ban are also underway in Romania, Lithuania, Spain and Poland. A further two countries (Switzerland and Germany) have implemented such strict regulations that fur farming has effectively ended, and three other countries (Denmark, Sweden and Hungary) have imposed measures that have ended the farming of certain species. Mink farming is also being phased out in the Canadian province of British Colombia. The UK was the first country in the world to ban fur farming, in 2003.
Outbreaks of COVID-19 have been documented on over 480 mink fur farms in 12 different countries in Europe and North America since April 2020.
Fur also comes with a hefty environmental price tag including C02 emissions from intensively farming carnivorous animals and the manure runoff into lakes and rivers. A cocktail of toxic and carcinogenic chemicals, such as chromium and formaldehyde, is used to preserve the fur and skin to stop it from rotting.
An increasing number of fashion designers and retailers are dropping fur cruelty. In the last few years alone, Moncler, Dolce & Gabbana, Canada Goose, Oscar de la Renta, Valentino, Gucci, Burberry, Versace, Chanel, Prada and other high-profile brands have announced fur-free policies.
ENDS
Media Contact: Yavor Gechev, communications director for HSI/Europe: ygechev@hsi.org
