The UK introduced the world’s first fur farming ban over 20 years ago. Despite this historic step, it is estimated that one million animals worth of fur is still imported here annually. I have joined over 50 cross-party MPs and Peers at an important Parliamentary event, supported by singer-songwriter Will Young, to call for an end to fur import and sale in Britain.
Humane Society International/UK and FOUR PAWS UK, two of the UK’s leading animal protection organisations, organised the event, which was hosted by Adam Jogee, MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme, and urged the Government to back Ruth Jones, MP for Newport West and Islywn’s, new Fur (Import and Sale) Bill.
During the event, harrowing new footage from a recent HSI/UK investigation on Finnish fur farms revealed the cruel conditions in which animals are kept in the fur industry. Confined in tiny, barren wire cages for their entire lives, these animals endure severe physical and mental suffering. They are later killed by gassing or electrocution at around eight months old.
These cruel, unsanitary, and overcrowded farms also pose a major public health risk. Many hundreds of outbreaks of COVID-19 have occurred on fur farms and, almost five years after the first reported case of the disease in China, a recent study in scientific journal Nature found dozens of novel viruses on animals from Chinese fur farms, sparking fears of a new pandemic. Leading virologists at Imperial College London have warned that fur farming should be considered in the same high-risk level category as the bushmeat trade and live animal markets, all of which increase the likelihood of future pandemics.
The vast majority of the British public, much like my constituents, are appalled by the cruelty of the fur trade. With 77% supporting a ban, it’s time for Parliament to reflect this overwhelming support and take decisive action. By ending the UK’s role in the fur trade, we can safeguard animals, our health, and our values. That’s why I’m proud to back the Bill for a ban on fur imports and sales.
