BRUSSELS, 30 JULY 2025 — The Fur Free Alliance welcomes the publication of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) scientific opinion on the welfare of animals kept for fur production. The findings provide conclusive evidence that the current fur farming systems used across the EU cause serious suffering for mink, foxes, raccoon dogs and chinchillas. The opinion confirms that welfare problems cannot be prevented or substantially mitigated in the current cage-based systems used on fur farms.

This landmark opinion from EFSA reinforces the call of over 1.5 million EU citizens who signed the Fur Free Europe European Citizens’ Initiative, demanding a ban on fur farming and the placement of farmed fur products on the European market.

The EFSA Panel identified a range of serious welfare consequences (WCs) affecting all species studied, including restriction of movement, inability to perform foraging and exploratory behaviours, sensorial under- and over-stimulation, handling stress, injuries, and lameness. Critically, EFSA concludes that “most of these WCs cannot be prevented or substantially mitigated” in the current fur farming systems.

This is highly damaging for the fur trade and raises huge questions around the claims made about so-called “high welfare” certification schemes, such as WelFur, the flagship certification system, promoted by the fur industry and a central component of the international Furmark label, which are based on the current cage system.
The opinion further underlines that no meaningful welfare improvements can occur without a complete system change. Such a system simply does not exist in commercial practice.

Joh Vinding, Chair of the Fur Free Alliance, said:

“Once again, science confirms what campaigners and the public have long known: fur farming is fundamentally incompatible with animal welfare. The EFSA opinion leaves no doubt that the only credible course of action is a full EU-wide ban on fur farming and farmed fur sales and imports. The European Commission should move to swiftly adopt such legislation when it responds to the Fur Free Europe initiative in early 2026. Anything less would ignore the clear scientific evidence and betray the will of European public opinion as evidenced in the Fur Free Europe Citizens’ Initiative.”

The EFSA report follows a long line of scientific findings, including the 2001 SCAHAW report, which also highlighted the inherent cruelty of fur farming. Two decades on, the core problems remain unchanged.

The Fur Free Alliance urges the European Commission and Member States to act on EFSA’s findings by supporting a full ban on both the keeping of animals for fur production and the placement of farmed fur products on the EU market.

Notes to editors:

• EFSA Scientific Opinion on ‘Welfare of American mink, red and Arctic foxes, raccoon dog and chinchilla kept for fur production’: https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2903/j.efsa.2025.9519 
• The Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE), which represents over 300,000 veterinarians, has, on 30 July 2025, urged the European Commission to implement a full ban on fur farming and the placing on the market of farmed fur products in the EU: https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/14669-The-Fur-Free-Europe-initiative-assessment-/F3586339_en 
  
• The Fur Free Europe European Citizens’ Initiative gathered over 1.5 million validated signatures across all EU Member States, calling for a ban on fur farming and placing of farmed fur on the market: https://citizens-initiative.europa.eu/initiatives/details/2022/000002_en
• The Fur Free Alliance is a global coalition of more than 50 animal protection organisations working to end the exploitation and killing of animals for fur: https://www.furfreealliance.com/