Animal Charity

We need YOUR HELP to stop fur sales in the UK!

Make your voice heard and tell our Government why fur is wrong

9.6.2021

The UK Government is calling for information and evidence in support of a UK fur import and sales ban. It’s not just NGOs that can take part, they want to hear from you as well.

Now is the time for you to tell our Government directly why you think the slaughter and trade of animals for fur is cruel and unnecessary!

As a FOUR PAWS supporter, we urge you to complete the online survey and share your personal opinion on this animal welfare issue. There is strength in numbers, and we must use our combined voices to represent the millions of animals that die in the name of fashion.

What you need to know when submitting a response:

  • It only takes 5-10 minutes to complete and submit the online form
  • You only need to answer questions 9, 10, 11, 38, and 39. Leave the rest blank or select “Don’t know”.
  • Please answer questions 11, 38, and 39 in your own words. Insider information tells us that identical responses are ignored or grouped as one single response by Defra when reading multiple submissions. So, this is your chance to tell Prime Minister Boris Johnson why you want a #FurFreeBritain - so you make your answer personal!

But we don’t want you to feel on your own with this, so follow our guide below on what to consider for each question:

Question 9: Is it wrong for animals to be killed for the sake of their fur?

Tick the box that you agree with this statement.

Question 10: What are your views on whether any of the following methods are acceptable ways to produce fur products?

FOUR PAWS UK will strongly disagree with all six statements. You can use the following points to help inform your response:

  • Fur farms of mink and foxes keep these animals in cramped conditions for their entire lives, only to be inhumanely slaughtered for their fur.
  • An ‘assurance scheme’ refers to certain schemes such as Furmark and Welfur. These schemes try to promote the myth of sustainably sourced fur, and animals in these schemes are still kept in cramped cages and inhumanely slaughtered through methods such as anal electrocution.
  • Trapping and hunting animals for their fur causes immense distress and suffering to the animal, often being caught in cruel traps for hours or even days.
  • A ‘conservation scheme’ refers to hunting quotas in the UK. These are not an effective means to control wildlife populations, and thus “hunting animals for their fur as part of a conservation scheme” does not promote actual conservation of UK wildlife.
  • Fur produced as a ‘by-product’ of legal meat farming is often the actual product that makes the farm economically viable. Example: Rabbit farms in the UK where there is little to no demand for the meat from the public, but the fur fetches a very high price.
  • Similarly to farms, fur as a ‘by-product’ can be the reason that makes it economically viable to hunt or trap the animals in the first place.

Question 11: What is your attitude towards the import and/or sale and/or export of fur or fur products in GB?

This question is where you can convey your attitudes and opinions about fur in GB. Questions you could consider in your response include:

  • Without a ban on fur sales/imports, is the UK supporting the fur farm and hunting industry of other countries, and thus the doomed lives of countless foxes, mink and raccoon dogs?
  • How would you feel as a UK citizen if our Government listened to, or ignored, the 1 million signatures demanding a fur ban that were handed in to Downing Street back in April?
  • As a consumer, how do you feel about real fur sometimes being mis-sold as fake fur on the high street? Do you think shoppers have a right to be able to buy clothing without the possibility of buying real fur by mistake?
  • Do you feel pride or anger at the UK’s role in the fur trade?
  • We banned fur farming here in the UK back in 2000, yet will still support farms across the globe by importing and selling fur here – is that right?
  • Recent figures from DEFRA show that in 2019, the UK imported a whopping £52,911,000 worth of fur! What’s worse, over 60% of this fur was then sold to other countries. How do you feel about the UK using the deaths of animals for their fur as a money maker rather than because of public demand?

Question 38: We are interested in finding out more about other countries’ existing or planned restrictions on fur. Please provide any information and/or evidence that you are aware of.

  • Austria, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Serbia, Macedonia, and just last week, Estonia, have all legally banned fur farming.
  • In 2018-2020, Europe saw France, Slovakia, Belgium, and Norway all commit to legally banning fur farming, with set transition periods of five-six years for existing farms.
  • Due to such strict animal protection laws, fur farms in Switzerland no longer exist as they cannot meet the high standards set.
  • Proposed legislation to ban fur farming is currently being considered in Bulgaria, Lithuania, Montenegro, Poland and Ukraine.
  • West Hollywood is the first city in the world that decided to ban the sales of fur in 2011. The ban came into force in 2013, when the value of fur sales in West-Hollywood was estimated at two million dollars annually.
  • Israel has become the second country in the world to ban the import and sale of fur.

Question 39: Please provide any other relevant evidence you would like to include to inform decisions on the GB fur trade.

With this question, you may want to consider and express the following:

  • Whether you feel the UK would be applauded internationally for becoming the second country in the world, following Israel, to ban the import and sale of fur (following the example set by the US state of California).
  • How you feel about the UK Government’s ambition to be a "world leader in animal welfare" and whether, in your view, a fur import and sales ban would help it deliver on such a pledge.

The deadline for responses is 28th June – so please share your views and speak up for millions of animals worldwide.

Animal Charity

Submit your response

Here
Animal Charity

Rebecca Dharmpaul

Campaigns Officer

Becky works in the Campaigns Team at FOUR PAWS UK, managing our Make Food Kinder and Dog Cat Meat Trade campaigns. She has a background in Zoology and animal welfare within sanctuaries, with over five years experience across several animal non-profits to aid in the protection of animals, both in the UK and internationally.

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