Document type : news item from Euractiv
Authors: Paula Andrés. Translation: Nicolas Thomsin
Preview: A majority of EU countries have pushed for an EU-wide ban on fur farming alongside a ban on the sale of fur products – however, the European Commission said it is waiting on further scientific opinions to steer its work on the matter.
On Monday (26 June), a coalition of EU member states supported a potential ban on fur farming, the practice of breeding and killing wild furred animals solely for their pelts, such as mink, foxes, and raccoon dogs.
The initiative, raised by the German, Austrian, and Dutch delegations, was discussed during the monthly gathering of agriculture ministers (AGRIFISH Council) in Luxembourg.
German agriculture minister, Cem Özdemir, voiced the ‘urgent plea’ to the Commission to “take into account the banning of the breeding of fur-bearing animals” under the upcoming revision of animal welfare rules expected in September this year.
“We are talking about non-domesticated animals with complex needs, that […] are not properly taken into account,” he said, adding that “it is ethically indefensible to breed and kill these animals to produce non-essential luxury products.”
Other countries, including Belgium, Estonia, Luxembourg, Czechia, and Lithuania have shown support for the initiative.
“The Commission has said it wants to free these animals from their cages in the context of the review of the animal welfare regulation, fur-bearing animals should not be forgotten,” said Lithuanian vice-minister Vytautas Abukauskas.
While Lithuania opposed the ban during an AGRIFISH Council meeting last it is now about to become the 20th country in Europe to ban fur farming.
Finland and Poland are currently the EU countries with the highest number of fur farms, but other countries such as Spain, Greece, and Lithuania made it to the top of the list of mink breeding.
Finland and Greece were among the countries that voiced their opposition to the proposed ban – while Spain did not comment on the issue. [...]
Stella Kyriakides, EU Health Commissioner in charge of animal welfare rules, told ministers that “there is no scientific opinion available as yet from the [European Food Safety Agency] EFSA on the welfare of fur animals to steer the Commission’s work on this area.”
“Priority was understandably given to the species that are mainly farmed today in all member states, such as dairy cows, or two species such as broilers or pigs,” she said.
She also added that “an additional roadmap was agreed for future opinions on several species to further support the Commission’s work after the adoption of the proposals.”
However, the EU executive considered a potential ban on fur farming in a draft impact assessment seen by EURACTIV in April. [...]
According to data from EFSA, until 2019, there were around 2,900 fur farms in the EU. The Covid pandemic dealt a blow to the sector, and the number of mink farms fell to 759, mainly located in Finland, Poland, Lithuania and Greece.
