The Frightening reality of the fur industry
We’ve been campaigning for a #FurFreeBritain for years, and with 2023 bringing the launch of our new fur report, we wanted to break down what it found and what it means for the UK
This year, we started off strong in the campaign against fur, when January saw us hosting a Parliamentary Reception to launch our new report “The frightening reality of the fur industry”.
What does the report reveal?
Our report delivers a deep dive into the cruel and unshared truth behind the farming of fur and outlines the untruths and hidden realities that are covered in the industry. Importantly it also highlights the role the UK plays in propping up this dying industry.
Huge numbers
Did you know 100 million animals are slaughtered annually to create fur fashion items. Around 95% of these animals are killed within industrial fur farming systems, and the remaining 5% are trapped in the wild.
Poor conditions
The high-level overcrowding and intense confinement of animals on fur farms mean that poor hygiene and irregular cleaning and care is commonplace.
Because of this, animals regularly exhibit high levels of distress through manic behaviour and even psychosis. Their ailments range from open wounds to extremes of self-mutilation and even cannibalism.
Acts of cruelty perpetrated by workers have also been routinely uncovered on fur farms, and killing methods found to be barbaric.
Pandemic threats
The fur industry not only poses risks to animals, but it also poses serious risks to human and public health, most recently demonstrated with COVID-19 spreading through over 450 fur farms across Europe and North America. There are concerns that animals susceptible to the virus can become reservoirs for the virus and interfere with the effectiveness of vaccines.
Many countries and states across the world have banned fur sales due to serious concerns for human health.
So why is the UK not one of them?
How can our report bring about a #FurFreeBritain?
It’s been 20 years since the then Government banned fur farming across the UK, yet we still play a role in this barbaric trade, by continuing to export our cruelty overseas and allowing fur to be imported and sold in the UK.
At its launch in Parliament we used the report to speak directly with MPs to encourage their support for a #FurFreeBritain.
By ending our complicity on the cruel trade, we can speak with our wallets and condemn it to the history books.
The Frightening Reality of the Fur Industry
Cruelty, COVID-19 and changing times – it is time to end the UK’s contribution to the cruel global fur trade
