Over 70% Of Brits Support Ban On Imported Animal Fur

According to YouGov poll, more than 70 per cent of Brits support a ban on the sale and import of animal fur. The research was commissioned by animal-rights organisation Humane Society International. The study also found that 93 per cent of British do not wear animal fur at all.

Fur farming has been banned in Britain since 2003; however, the import and sale of fur from animals farmed in other countries is still legal. 

The fur trade is responsible for the suffering and death of millions of animals each year. 

The campaigners wrote on their website: "More than 100 million animals die for their fur each year, the majority suffering in small battery cages. The UK banned fur farming as 'unethical' in 2000, recognising that keeping wild animals in tiny cages can never be humane. But the UK is now outsourcing fur cruelty overseas, causing suffering to millions of animals." 

Humane Society International UK executive director Claire Bass said in a statement: "This new poll shows without a doubt that most Brits reject fur, and they want that reflected in British law with a UK fur sales ban.

"Like us, they believe that if fur is too cruel to farm in the UK, it is too cruel to sell here, too. The vast majority of designers and retailers have already turned their backs on outdated fur, so now it's time for the UK governments to take action.

"For as long as fur is sold in our shops, Britain is complicit in the suffering and death of a million fur-bearing animals for the fashion industry. British consumers have made their views clear – fur is cruel, outdated and it should be banned."

More than 750 000 people signed the #FurFreeBritain petition. The campaign is supported by animal rights organisations including Four Paws, RSPCA, PETA UK, Animal Aid, Open Cages, Care2, the Jane Goodall Institute UK, and VIVA! Many celebrities also backed the campaign, including Ricky Gervais, Evanna Lynch, Leona Lewis and Judi Dench.

Ricky Gervais said: "I will never understand why anyone would want to wear fur - a beautiful fox who has been beaten or electrocuted, a mink who has been gassed to death, or a coyote who has suffered in a leg hold trap and then been shot in the head." 

"How can anyone want to wear that on their hat or their coat, and how can Britain still sell fur when we banned fur farming for being cruel? It's utter hypocrisy, and that's why I wholeheartedly support HSI's #FurFreeBritain campaign."

You can help Britain to lead the way as the world's first fur-free nation and sign the petition here.