BRUSSELS, 23 FEBRUARY – Today, animal protection organisations from across Europe gathered outside the European Commission in Brussels to urge the Commission to respect public opinion and deliver an EU-wide ban on fur farming and the sale of farmed fur products without delay. The action was organised by the Fur Free Alliance in support of the Fur Free Europe European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI), which collected more than 1.5 million signatures in favour of such a ban. A new opinion poll across EU member states reveals continued overwhelming support for an EU-wide ban.

The protest comes as the European Commission prepares its response to Fur Free Europe, expected in March 2026. The campaigners called on the Commission to follow the scientific evidence, including the European Food Safety Authority’s 2025 scientific opinion on animals kept for fur production, and warned against any proposals that would create unacceptable “minimum standards” while leaving animals confined in cages on fur farms.

Newly published polling of 18,000 citizens across EU member states by Savanta finds clear majorities backing an EU-wide ban on fur farming (64% net support) and similarly strong support for tackling the trade in farmed fur, with 69% net support for banning imports of fur farmed outside the EU. Opposition to a ban is very low (around 10–13%), underlining that action to end fur farming and remove farmed fur from the EU market continues to be firmly aligned with public expectations.

Campaigners staged a high-visibility action outside the Commission’s Berlaymont Building, using campaign visuals including huge mobile LED screens on bikes/vehicles, banners and placards. Speakers at a ‘soapbox-style’ street rally included Tilly Metz MEP and Mike Moser (former Director of Standards for the International Fur Federation and former CEO British Fur Trade, now campaigning to end the fur trade), alongside representatives from Bont voor Dieren, Collective Fashion Justice, Deutscher Tierschutzbund, Eurogroup for Animals, FOUR PAWS, GAIA, Humane World for Animals and Respect for Animals.

Tilly Metz, Member of the European Parliament (Greens/EFA), said:

“Today I am joining the Fur Free Alliance’s event to stand alongside citizens demanding an end to fur farming and fur imports in Europe. The European Commission can no longer ignore the voices of millions of Europeans who have called for change. The scientific evidence is clear: fur farming poses serious risks to animal welfare, public health, and our environment. The Commission must listen — to citizens and to science — and finally take decisive action.”

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

“The science is clear and so is the public: fur farming causes unavoidable animal suffering. One and a half million EU citizens signed the Fur Free Europe initiative, and now The Commission must listen and deliver a full ban on fur farming and trade across Europe, once and for all”.

Mike Moser, consultant and former fur industry CEO, said:

“It is unbelievable and completely unforgivable that fur farming still continues today. Having spent so many years working to defend the fur industry, it is now my strongly held view that while animals continue to be caged, no improvement to nor strengthening of fur farming regulations will ever prevent the welfare problems and cruelty that are systemic to the fur industry. Animals on fur farms are suffering right now, they are being denied the ability to act out their most natural behaviours. It would be unforgivable of the European Commission to not to take this opportunity to end this trade for good.”

Growing concern over animal welfare has led 18 EU Member States to introduce bans on fur farming in recent years, including Poland, the EU’s largest fur producer. Despite declining demand for fur products, millions of animals including mink, foxes, raccoon dogs and chinchillas are still being bred for fur—a luxury product no one needs.

Beyond the immense animal suffering, fur production poses risks to the environment, biodiversity and public health, as documented during the COVID-19 pandemic and recent outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza. Fur is rejected by most fashion brands, as the supply chain is considered incompatible with the companies’ sustainability commitments and ethical values.

Further to this, a complaint has been submitted to the European Ombudsman regarding the European Commission’s handling of the Fur Free Europe process. The complaint alleges that fur industry representatives were granted privileged access during the Commission’s preparatory work, while civil society and the democratic vehicle of the ECI campaign were not treated on an equal footing, and that key information about these contacts was not made transparent. The Commission’s approach risks steering the outcome towards what the fur industry finds acceptable, such as low “standards”.

The Fur Free Alliance calls for an outright full EU-wide fur ban, the only effective way to protect animals, public health, the environment, and which provides a response consistent with the expectations of European citizens.