Campaign reply - Wild trapped fur: Close our borders to fur cruelty

Thank you for contacting my office. I very much appreciate you getting in touch about the fur trade.

My ministerial colleagues and I are united in the Government’s commitment to upholding our high standards in animal welfare. The Government’s Action Plan for Animal Welfare sets out the Government’s vision to introduce a range of world-leading reforms to improve the welfare and conservation of animals at home and abroad.

Fur farming has been banned in the UK for 20 years. As well as this, there are already restrictions on some skin and fur products which may never be legally imported into the UK. The UK has established controls on fur from endangered species protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and does not allow imports of fur from wild animals caught using methods which are non-compliant with international humane trapping standards.

I appreciate that there is considerable support for banning all imports of fur products. However, while there are existing restrictions, it is still possible to import other fur from abroad. I am aware that the Government sought views on animal welfare through a recent call for evidence and 30,000 responses were received from businesses, representative bodies and individuals, demonstrating the strong public interest in this area. Ministers continue to build an evidence base, which will be used to inform any future action on the fur trade.

Once again, thank you for taking the time to write. If you require any further assistance, then please do not hesitate to get in touch.