Respond to the consultation here.
The UK Government, jointly with the Scottish and Welsh Governments, is considering future government policy on the fur trade and what could possibly be done to strengthen the UK’s animal welfare standards in this area.
This is the perfect opportunity to show the governments that there is no place for the ‘products’ derived from such cruelty in the UK and that a complete ban on the import and sale of fur products must be implemented.
It is so important that as many people as possible respond to the consultation calling for such a ban. Together we must take a stand against the cruel fur industry. That is why we have put together this short & simple guide to aid you in responding to the consultation. It should only take 10-15 minutes of your time.
The consultation closes on the 28th June, so please ensure you have responded by then.
Guide Answers
Q9, 10, 11 and 39 are the most relevant answers for members of the public. The remaining questions tend to be aimed towards those working in the fur industry and so can be ignored.
Q9 – An agree/disagree question.
OneKind strongly agrees with each question.
Q10 – An agree/disagree question.
OneKind strongly disagrees with each question.
Q11 – What is your attitude towards the import and/or sale and/or export of fur or fur products in the GB?
OneKind is strongly opposed to the import and/or sale and/or export of fur or fur products. Some points you may like to raise include:
- The exploitation and killing of animals so that their skin and body parts can be used for clothing and apparel is unnecessarily cruel and entirely outdated.
- Animals used by the fur industry are confined to small, barren cages for their entire lives. They may self-mutilate, pace and attack, or even kill, their cages– mates due to the stress imposed upon them by confinement and unnatural social groupings.
- While fur farming may be banned in the UK, the import and sale of fur products promotes, and encourages people to fund, a terribly cruel industry.
- As a nation of animal lovers, and the first country to ban fur farming 20 years ago, we should take a moral stand against an industry that inflicts mental and physical suffering upon animals.
- So-called faux fur products can actually be mislabelled and are real fur.
- In a survey of people in Great Britain in May 2021, 72% supported a ban on the import and sale of fur
Q39- Please provide any other relevant evidence you would like to include to inform decisions on the GB fur trade
Some points you may like to raise include:
- There are a wealth of fur-free retailers, that is, retailers that have committed to not stock, or produce, any products containing fur. These include: H&M, ASOS, Next, Zara, Gucci, Topshop. Timberland, The North Face, Hugo Boss, Vans, Etnies, Versace and Jimmy Choo.
- The UK Government has expressed its ambition to become a ‘world leader in animal welfare’. If the UK Government introduced a ban on the import, sale and export of fur, it would join Israel in becoming one of the first countries globally to do so.
- The industry claims that assurance schemes protect welfare but this is simply greenwashing; these schemes allow the horrific conditions to continue.
- Mink farms have become a reservoir for COVID 19 on hundreds of farms in multiple EU countries. Millions of mink were killed as a result. And end to the trade in wild animals and parts, including fur, is necessary to prevent future pandemics.