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After the tireless work of many pro-animal organisations over the last two decades, the last of Germany’s fur farms will be closing.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) announced this weekend that German leaders voted for a bill that would shut down the country’s “six remaining fur farms.” While there is not a lot of detail about the new legislation as of yet, according to the article:
“Germany’s last fur farms will close down after a five-year transition. The new bill demands stricter regulations governing fur farming and will effectively make the raising of minks nonviable for farmers. Fur-farming bans and stricter regulations that inevitably cause facilities to close are becoming increasingly widespread. Within the last year, both Japan and Croatia took similar steps to eradicate fur farms.”
MEILENSTEIN: Bundestag stimmt für faktisches Ende von Pelzfarmen 👏 Im Juni wird der Gesetzentwurf dem Bundesrat vorgelegt. pic.twitter.com/K8jRueJq60
— PETA Deutschland (@PETADeutschland) May 19, 2017
Eighty-five percent of the fur industry’s skins come from animals held captive on fur factory farms. These farms often hold thousands of animals, and the kinds of abuse that the facilities engage in are remarkably similar around the globe, and millions of animals around the world are beaten, electrocuted, and skinned alive for their fur.
However, fur is well and truly falling out of fashion this year, as earlier this year, Croatia also banned fur farms, after a 10-year transitional period, whilst Berkeley Council in the US banned the sales of fur within the city. We were also pleased to hear that fashion giant Armani announced they would cease to use animal fur in their designs, and a top fashion school ended it’s partnerships with fur companies to focus on animal-free alternatives instead.
UPDATED
We have now received information that the new law does not advocated banning fur farms completely. Instead, operators will now be required to provide minks at fur farms a paltry one square meter of space per animal, as well as a pool, climbing equipment and solid ground. Sadly this means that fur farms could still receive an operating license, as long as they are meeting the new legal welfare requirements. Although the remaining six German mink farms will have to close down in the meantime because they will struggle to operate economically when the new requirements are enforced, a back door remains open which would allow new farms to open in the future as long as they meet the conditions.
Source: PETA.
