UK government to drop plans to ban fur imports

The UK government is likely to DROP plans to restrict fur imports after several cabinet ministers expressed concerns about the proposals.

The administration said that no final decision had been made, but insiders say the measures are likely to be shelved to allow other aspects of the law to move forward.

According to a government spokesperson, the government is “unified in its commitment to upholding its world-leading standards in animal welfare.”

In the first fur discussion since the UK left the EU, MPs from across the political spectrum called on the government to prohibit the sale and import of real animal fur in the UK in September 2021.

Britain has prohibited fur farming since 2000, with the final fur farms closing in 2003, but has consistently refrained from prohibiting the import of farmed fur, claiming that doing so would violate the UK’s EU membership. However, now that the Brexit transition period has over, anti-fur MPs and advocacy organizations including Humane Society International have increased their calls for a ban on imports and sales.

Over 50 British celebrities, including Dame Judi Dench, Brian May CBE, Leona Lewis, and Alesha Dixon, as well as designers Stella McCartney OBE, Vivienne Westwood DBE, and Katharine Hamnett CBE, have joined the #FurFreeBritain movement.

In response to the speculation, Humane Society International/UK, the major animal charity, invites Ministers to listen to the strong public support for a ban and to publish the conclusions of its Call for Evidence, which got 30,000 answers.

Claire Bass, Executive Director for Humane Society International/UK, said that according to polls, 72% of British people support a ban on fur, and over 140 MPs from all parties believe that they should not be complicit in the death and suffering of millions of animals confined or trapped overseas for frivolous fashion. They’re appealing for the results of the government’s Call for Evidence on the Fur Trade, which received 30,000 replies last year. This evidence, not the personal inclinations and hunches of a tiny number of important Conservatives, should dictate government policy.

Many major brands and stores, including Chanel, Gucci Versace, Michael Kors, Burberry, Jimmy Choo, Diane von Furstenberg, and John Galliano, have discontinued the use of fur in their collections in recent years.