The European Commission has not yet agreed on implementing a complete ban on the European fur industry. Brussels must respond by the end of this month at the latest to a referendum signed one and a half million times calling for a ban on the breeding and keeping of fur animals.
The Commission is struggling with the citizens' initiative, where Vice-President Teresa Ribera of Competition Affairs supports a ban, but Commissioner for Animal Welfare Olivér Várhelyi is content with tightening animal protection regulations.
Only Five Left
Most EU countries have already implemented bans in recent years on breeding fur animals and selling farmed fur products. Only five EU countries have not yet done so: Finland, Denmark, Spain, Hungary, and Greece.
Promotion
Dutch MEP Anja Hazekamp (The Left/PvdD) asked Várhelyi for clarification Wednesday afternoon during a debate in the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee. She criticized the intention to only tighten current rules. Várhelyi denied there was disagreement within the Commission over stricter rules for fur farms.
Warning
Last summer, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded that the small cages used in fur farming cause serious health and welfare problems for animals such as mink, foxes, and raccoon dogs.
According to EFSA, these problems cannot be meaningfully resolved simply by introducing new regulations on this form of animal husbandry, as no systems exist that can eliminate these issues without fundamental interventions. EFSA’s findings are widely seen in Brussels as confirmation that tightening standards does not solve the problems.
Undermining
According to MEP Hazekamp, the European Commission could not have come up with a worse plan. “Maintaining the European fur industry not only goes against the citizens’ initiative, it also undermines the efforts of EU countries that have already banned fur production. It is madness to now impose requirements that keep this unnecessary and cruel industry alive,” Hazekamp said.
Austria has also asked the European Commission for clarification on its plans. Austria says a complete ban would provide more legal certainty for breeders who must stop and would allow them to receive fair compensation.