Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

In Flanders, eleven of the 16 fur manufacturers want to close earlier, and the only producer of foie gras in Flanders is also going out of business.

From the end of 2023, such establishments will be banned in Flanders.

Those who close earlier receive a bonus. A special commission will determine the value of the company and the premium will be calculated on this basis.

In order for the businesses to close as early as possible, the premium will decrease over time.
“Fur-farming is still profitable, but animal welfare comes first,” says the Flemish Minister for Animal Welfare, Ben Weyts (N-VA).

Fur farming has been banned in Wallonia since 2015, but at that time there were no longer any farms.

Foie gras can still be produced in Wallonia.

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And I mean… From a legal point of view, fur animals are either not protected at all or completely inadequately, and this applies worldwide.

In 1999 the Council of Europe adopted a “Recommendation” on fur animals on farms.

However, this was completely inadequate, as cage management remains permissible in a confined space.

Wire mesh floors live, the animals spend their entire lives in narrow mesh cages living on wire mesh floors, without a sheltered place to sleep, without opportunities to retreat from their own species, without opportunities to move around, and without variety.

In many EU countries, there are no further regulations for fur farms, and in order to continue to earn money with animal cruelty, the mink breeders even ignore the minimal requirements of the legal situation.

While the fur farms in Europe are gradually becoming fewer, the Chinese fur farmers benefit from the non-falling demand and therefore the low supply of European farms is lucrative for them.

Since their biggest competitor Denmark is currently “paralyzed”, prices and products on the Chinese market are rising.

The Chinese government banned the trade in wild animals at the beginning of the corona pandemic, but by reclassifying mink, fox, and raccoon from wild animals to “special farm animals” in April, these animals can still be traded and killed for the fur industry.

The list of countries that pave the way for a fur-free future continues to grow: Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Great Britain, Japan, Croatia, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Norway, Austria, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic …

In September 2020, France announced a mink farm ban with a five-year transition period.

Strictly speaking, the commercial breeding and killing of fur animals are not prohibited in Germany.

However, from 2022 onwards, the minimum requirements for keeping animals have been tightened to such an extent that keeping fur animals is no longer economically viable.

One can only hope that the economic losses in the fur industry caused by Corona will turn things around.

My best regards to all, Venus

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