Campaigners are calling for Britain to follow LA’s example and prohibit the import and sale of fur in the country
By Jaimee Taylor
Last month, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to ban the sale and manufacturing of fur by 2020, the fourth city in the United States to decide to make the change. Although the ban includes a number of exceptions, including the sale of used furs at vintage shops, animal rights activists have hailed the decision.
Jerry Vlasak, press officer at the Animal Liberation Front, says the fur industry “involves the profound and completely unnecessary suffering of many animals for a single garment”. He stresses that “every entity worldwide” should be following LA’s lead and prohibiting the practice.
This sentiment is echoed by animal activist groups worldwide. Humane Society International estimate more than 100 million animals die for their fur each year, with the majority kept in small battery cages.
But for Alan Hersovici, founder and senior researcher at Truth About Fur, the ban is “completely misinformed”. He says: “The proposal is driven by poorly thought-out ideology, and completely ignores accepted sustainable use principles.”
Alan argues that faux fur is more damaging for animal welfare than real fur, with the fake alternative being made from plastic-based synthetics. “Ironically, California is a state that is very concerned about reducing the amount of non-biodegradable plastic in our natural environment,” he says. “Yet they are ready to ban natural fur and promote the use of plastic as an alternative.”
Lynne Kentish, director of the Lynx Educational Trust of Animal Welfare, strongly believes the fur ban should be implemented in the UK, but agrees faux fur is not an alternative. She says: “Fake fur not only continues the false impression that fur is glamorous, its production is environmentally unsound.”
Fur farming was branded “unethical” and banned by the British government in 2000, with it remaining legal to import fur to sell within the country. But with more than 450,000 people signing a petition calling for a #FurFreeBritain and Brexit just around the corner, a ban on the sale and manufacturing of fur could be possible.
If we leave the EU and the Single Market on March 29, the UK would be able to ban the import and sale of fur on world trade grounds without the need to follow EU legislation.