BRUSSELS, 18 FEBRUARY 2025 – A newly released undercover investigation reveals appalling cruelty on European fur farms, where animals endure terrible suffering before being killed in horrific ways. Animal rights organisation GAIA, a Fur Free Alliance member, released the disturbing findings today to expose the inherent welfare problems of the fur trade and urge Belgium to ban fur sales.

The latest footage, captured on fur farms in Poland last month, exposes the brutal everyday reality of fur farming, where hundreds of mink and raccoon dogs are crammed into tiny wire mesh cages, often suffering from severe injuries, obesity, and untreated open wounds. In this disturbing footage raccoon dogs are violently pulled from their cages and anally electrocuted—in full view of the other animals. View photos here. 

Fur farms deprive animals of the opportunity to express natural behaviors like exploring, hunting, or running. Confined to tiny cages, they develop severe psychological distress, often resorting to self-mutilation, cannibalism, or repetitive movements. They spend their entire short lives in these cruel conditions—only to be violently killed at just eight or nine months old.

73% of Belgians support a ban on fur trade

While fur farming is banned across Belgium, the sale of fur remains legal. A new opinion poll commissioned by GAIA reveals that 76% of Belgians have a negative perception of brands that still sell fur, and 73% want the country to ban fur sales altogether.

Ann de Greef, CEO of animal rights organisation GAIA, says:

“Belgium must no longer be complicit in this industry. We have banned its production - now it’s time to ban its sale as well.”

While fur production is prohibited in Belgium on animal welfare grounds, fur clothing and accessories are still sold in the country by luxury brands and specialty stores. To end fur cruelty for good, GAIA has launched a campaign calling on regional governments—who have the authority to act—to prohibit fur sales. The campaign also urges citizens to take a stand by boycotting brands that continue to profit from fur.

Despite growing opposition to fur farming across Europe, Poland remains one of the last countries where the industry is still legal. However, the Polish parliament is now considering a proposal to ban it, a decision that would end the suffering and killing of millions of animals each year.

Fur is increasingly falling out of favour, and that’s good news for animals. In 2023, global fur production plummeted by nearly 40% compared to the previous year, following a decade-long downward spiral that saw the industry shrink by a staggering 85%. These statistics are not just numbers: they represent millions of mink, foxes, and raccoon dogs spared a miserable life and painful death on a fur farm.

As top fashion houses gravitate away from animal fur and governments shut down cruel fur farms, the steep decline of the fur industry - once synonymous with luxury - is a testament to what can be achieved for animals with strategy and international collaboration. 

Demand for fur has dipped in recent years, driven by conscious consumers rejecting cruelty and animal advocates adopting new strategies. Trailblazing fashion designers such as Gucci, Armani and Michael Kors publicly abandoned animal fur, after working with the global network of the Fur Free Alliance, marking a turning point for cruelty-free fashion - today over 1600 brands have pledged to go fur-free. 

Photo: Oikeutta eläimille

A decade of targeted campaigns, exposing the grim realities of the fur trade while highlighting the consumer’s growing appetite for ethical products, has changed the conversation. Today’s fashion labels recognise that luxury no longer stands for cruelty and prioritise animal welfare policies and innovative alternatives. Despite this progress, there is still work to be done while fur brands, such as Fendi, Louis Vuitton and Woolrich, continue to profit off of the backs of animals.

Besides corporate wins, government bans and falling demand have forced fur farmers worldwide to leave the business. In just five years, the number of fur farms in the European Union fell from 4,350 in 2018, to 1,088 in 2023. Even in China, the world’s largest producer of fur, production has dropped by more than half since 2022. 

It’s clear the tide is turning against fur farming, as animal advocates continue to push for prohibitive laws to protect animal welfare, public health and the environment. While discussions about a Europe-wide fur ban are ongoing, last year Romania was the latest country to outlaw fur production over welfare concerns.

The Fur Free Alliance, a coalition of more than 50 animal protection groups around the world, brings campaigners together to work more effectively against the international fur industry. In over 25 years of existence, the network has helped to ensure more than 25 countries have introduced legislation to prohibit or restrict fur production on the basis of animal welfare and public morality. Work continues in multiple countries where proposals for fur farming bans are being considered. 

While the fur trade is fading, the work is far from over: the suffering of 20 million animals each year remains 20 million too many. By continuing to hold brands accountable and advocating for legislative change, we can ensure more meaningful progress toward ending the global fur trade once and for all.

STOCKHOLM, 27 JANUARY 2025 - In a significant step for animal welfare, the Swedish government has followed through on its 2023 commitment to provide decommissioning aid to shut down mink fur farms. Last week the government confirmed that SEK 180 million will be allocated to former mink farms, with all farms expected to be emptied of animals by June. Swedish Fur Free Alliance member organisation Project 1882 welcomes this significant step toward the end of an unethical industry, but stresses the urgent need for a formal ban.

Since the Swedish government announced in autumn 2023 that it would provide decommissioning aid to mink farms, an increasing number of mink farms in Sweden have shut down. Alongside the financial aid for closures, the government also committed to launching an inquiry into the feasibility of a fur farming ban. While the aid has materialised, providing funding to roughly 20 former mink farms, the promised inquiry is still pending.

Benny Andersson, CEO of Project 1882, says:

It is encouraging that things are moving in the right direction, and I look forward to the day when we can say with certainty that all cages are empty. Now the Swedish government also urgently needs to appoint the investigation and ensure that this unethical industry is banned once and for all.

For Project 1882, this victory has been decades in the making. With over 50 years of relentless campaigning, the organisation has played a pivotal role in dismantling Sweden’s fur industry. Their efforts also extended across borders with the Fur Free Europe initiative, which garnered over 1.5 million signatures to demand an EU-wide ban on fur farming. The campaign continues to ensure the closure of all mink fur farms in Sweden and to press the government to fulfill its commitment to a ban. At the same time, the push for a comprehensive EU-wide ban will persist. Benny Andersson concludes:

 This is an incredibly important victory for animals. It would never have happened without Project 1882’s work, so I want to take this opportunity to thank all our donors who have stood on the side of fur animals along the way and made this historic change possible.

The introduction of stricter welfare requirements in Sweden led to the closure of fox fur farms in 2005 and chinchilla fur farms in 2014. With 200,000 mink killed for their fur in 2023, Sweden is one of the few remaining countries in Europe where fur farming is still legal. Last year, Romania became the 22nd country in Europe to ban fur production over welfare concerns. The time has come for Sweden to join the growing list of countries that have banned fur cruelty and deliver on its commitment to end this harmful practice once and for all.

The fur industry in China is in steep decline, with falling business numbers, fewer pelts produced, and fashion houses turning their back on the use of animal fur.   

The latest findings, as reported by Fur Free Alliance member organisation ACTAsia, show clear signs that the multi-billion pound industry is struggling. ACTAsia’s research reveals a sharp drop in the number of fur farms in China, the world’s largest fur producer, from 18 million in May 2023 to 10.7 million in March 2024. The production of pelts in China has also dropped more than half in 2023, compared to the previous year.

According to ACTAsia’s founder and CEO Pei Su, demand has dropped as a result of global fashion brands joining the Fur Free Retailer program and growing concerns about fur farms and their potential link to COVID-19:

“It now feels possible that the fur trade might end in my lifetime - something I never believed possible! Equally, while I want to celebrate the decreasing numbers, we can’t yet claim victory when there are still tens of millions of innocent animals being pointlessly slaughtered every year, just for their fur.”

As well as the shocking cruelty involved in fur production, there are also associated environmental concerns due to the process. Breeding millions of animals just for their fur is an incredibly wasteful and inefficient process that comes with a severe ecological footprint. On top of that, there are implications for global health as fur farms are seen as a high-risk breeding ground for future pandemics, as evidenced in a recent scientific paper from a One Health perspective. 

The Chinese fur industry is particularly prevalent in the north of the country where the colder weather means animals produce thicker fur and the majority of animals are raised on factory farms. ACTAsia’s new report stresses that animal welfare protection laws in China do not cover animals bred for their fur, and checks are inadequately assessed.  Pei Su adds:

“Not only does fur farming cause extreme stress to millions of animals in captivity it also poses a huge risk to the environment and crucially to human health. We want to see greater regulation to protect vulnerable animals and humans, with more investment in education for consumers to know the truth about fur productions, as well as the promotion of sustainable alternatives.”

MILAN, 6 AUGUST 2024 – After receiving hundreds of thousands of emails, thousands of phone calls, countless social media posts and even having a hot air balloon flown over its headquarters in Italy asking them to go fur-free, Max Mara Fashion Group has officially announced a fur-free policy.

In an internal memo to staff, Max Mara said:

"The Company does not sell, online nor in any of its physical retail locations, any products made with fur, nor is there the intention to introduce any products made with fur into any upcoming collections of Max Mara Fashion Group brands.”

This was confirmed by a Max Mara executive, who added:

“Max Mara, including the MMFG and any subsidiaries, has adopted a fur-free policy and has no intention of introducing fur into any upcoming collection for any of the MMFG brands.”

This announcement comes after numerous unsuccessful attempts at a dialogue with the brand by the Fur Free Alliance (FFA), a coalition of more than 50 animal protection organizations from over 35 countries, leading to its launch of a global campaign during fashion weeks in February 2024 in New York City, London, Milan, and Paris urging the Italian fashion giant to adopt a fur-free policy. The campaign saw more than 270,000 emails, 5,000 phone calls and countless social media posts delivering a clear message asking Max Mara to go fur-free, as well as a hot air balloon blitz over the headquarters in Reggio Emilia. Activists around the world came together to ask Max Mara to do the right thing, and they listened, making it clear fur has no place in fashion.

Max Mara Fashion Group has 2,500+ stores in 105 countries and was previously selling mink gloves, fox fur cuffs and a raccoon dog key chain. The Group now joins the world’s major fashion-houses that have already gone fur-free, including Dolce & Gabbana, Saint Laurent, Valentino, Prada, Gucci, Versace, Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga and Armani.

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

“The Fur Free Alliance applauds Max Mara for going fur-free. Max Mara was one of the last global fashion brands that still sold fur, so we’re glad they have now joined a growing list of fur-free brands that want nothing to do with animal cruelty associated with the fur trade.”

In September 2018, the Fur Free Alliance asked supporters to contact Prada urging them to go fur-free, and the Italian luxury brand heard the calls and went fur-free the following year. The Fur Free Alliance also worked with Gucci, Armani, Hugo Boss and many others to announce fur-free policies. Today, over 1500 brands and retailers have pledged to go fur-free by joining the Fur Free Retailer Program.

9 FEBRUARY 2024 – Today, the Fur Free Alliance launched a global campaign urging Italian fashion giant Max Mara to join its competitors—including Gucci, Versace, Armani, Prada, Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana and many others—in adopting a fur-free policy.

The campaign will take place during fashion weeks in New York City, London, Milan, and Paris. With the reach of the Fur Free Alliance, a coalition of 50 animal protection organizations in 35 countries, the Max Mara campaign will likely be the largest corporate anti-fur campaign of all time, leading to tens of thousands of emails, calls, and social media posts.

In September 2018, the Fur Free Alliance asked its supporters worldwide to contact Prada to go fur-free, and the Italian luxury brand heard the calls and went fur-free the following year, responding to the shift in stakeholder values. The Fur Free Alliance also worked with Gucci, Armani, Hugo Boss and many others to announce fur-free policies. Today, over 1500 brands and retailers have pledged to go fur-free by joining the Fur Free Retailer Program.

Write an email to Max Mara to let them know you care for animals and want them to go fur-free! Follow up by leaving a comment on Max Mara’s social channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn).

The global campaign is targeting flagship brand Max Mara, as well as the Max Mara Fashion Group as a whole, including all the group’s brands that are still using animal fur, such as Marina Rinaldi, SportMax and many others. Currently, you can find products like mink gloves, fox fur cuffs, raccoon dog charm or fur trimmed hoods in Max Mara’s assortment.

On fur factory farms, wild animals spend their entire lives in wire-bottom cages, deprived of the ability to engage in natural behaviours—only to be killed by gassing or anal-electrocution. In the wild, animals are held in traps for days without food or water until trappers come to retrieve them, often gnawing off their own limb first in a desperate attempt to escape.

Fur production is also environmentally devastating. Fur factory farms and tanneries are extremely harmful to our soil and waterways—pumping waste and the toxic chemicals into the surrounding environment. And the traps responsible for killing wild animals are indiscriminate, often maiming and killing non-target animals, like endangered species and people’s pets. All told, the fur industry is an environmental nightmare.

Now that the majority of consumers want nothing to do with the fur trade, major fashion brands have responded by announcing policies prohibiting the use of fur. Twenty countries throughout Europe have banned fur production because of animal cruelty and risks to the environment and public health. As well, Israel, California and 14 cities across the U.S. have banned fur sales to create a more humane marketplace and drive innovation.

Fur Free Alliance Chairman Joh Vinding says:

“Max Mara’s support for the archaic and cruel fur trade makes them look outdated and indifferent to animal suffering. Max Mara should join its fur-free peers and choose compassion over profits.”

MONTENEGRO, 10 JULY 2019 - Yesterday, the opening of the Make Fur History exhibition took place at the Culture and Information Center 'Budo Tomovic' in the capital of Montenegro, Podgorica.  The event, co-organised with our local member group Gallop, reveals the reality on fur factory farms and presents the facts about the animals bred and killed for their fur, and shows why the fur industry belongs in the past.

In February 2019, Gallop started a campaign to call for a ban on fur farming in Montenegro which has been welcomed by both the parliament and the government and is widely supported by the citizens of Montenegro. There are currently no fur farms in Montenegro, but the prohibition is meant to prevent fur farmers from neighboring countries, where bans are in place or upcoming, from establishing new farms in the country.

The three-day exhibition aims to inform decision-makers on the negative impact of fur farming on local nature and communities, and shows the extreme animal welfare problems associated with fur farming. Speakers at the opening and roundtable included Dušan Pajović, president of the animal rights organisation Gallop, Maida Šabeta, environmental legal expert, Thomas Pietsch, wild animal expert from Four Paws Germany and Jelena Stevanovic, campaign manager from Freedom For Animals, Serbia.

Pajović says:

"Throughout history, there has always been frames of time where certain social justice ideals would reach mass acceptance. Killing animals for fur has stumbled for a long time against many obstacles – above all the ethical, ecological and economic ones. The “natural” fur industry has finally been beaten, and even the pro-European Montenegro has come to adopt a law prohibiting breeding animals for fur. At this conference, and thereafter,  we will all work together to make fur history – and make it stay in its dark corner.”

The intense battery cage system used on fur farms deprives animals from the opportunity to express their natural behaviour and causes severe welfare problems. International studies have shown behavioral disorders, such as stereotypies, pelt-biting and infant mortality, are highly common on fur farms.

The Make Fur History exhibition was launched last year in the European Parliament by the Fur Free Alliance and Eurogroup for Animals. The exhibition exposes the facts about how real fur is produced and explains why more national bans on fur factory farming are needed across Europe.

SARAJEVO, 5  APRIL 2019 - Today, international experts and lawmakers gather in the Bosnian Parliament for the opening of the Make Fur History exhibition. The exhibition, that was first launched in the European Parliament in 2018, addresses the adverse effects of fur production on animal welfare and the environment, and the urgency for the Bosnian ban on fur farming to go into effect sooner rather than later.

Opening speakers of the event include Marianne Thieme, member of the Dutch Parliament and leader of the Party for the Animals, Damir Arnaut, Bosnian MP and host of the event, Serbian Doctor of Sciences Aleksandar Knežević, and Richard Bissett, Member of the Fur Free Alliance board.

The Make Fur History exhibition, an initiative of the Fur Free Alliance, aims to inform Bosnian decision makers on the scientific evidence of the negative impact of fur farming on animals, nature and local communities and shows the wide public support and global shift to end fur farming.

In late 2017, the Bosnian government voted for a last-minute postponement of the fur farming ban, that was supposed to end fur production in 2018, for another 10 years. Animal advocates around the globe have urged the Bosnian government to stay committed and make an end to the widely condemned industry.

MP Arnaut says:

“The Parliament’s decision to postpone enforcement of the ban was not just ridiculous, but illegal too. Fur farms in Bosnia were illegal after the ban entered into force and in January 2018, but in February same year, they were legalized. The ban has to be restored.”

Bissett adds:

“Globally, momentum is with the anti-fur movement, and we have ethics and science on our side. This week, we’re seeing how the brilliant and vital work of campaigners in Bosnia–Herzegovina is paying off. The Make Fur History exhibition allows us to reveal the reality on fur factory farms, to present the facts about the animals bred and killed for their fur and to show why the fur industry belongs in the past.”

MP Thieme:

“The Dutch Fur Farming prohibition act was passed in January 2013 with a phase out period of ten years. The fur farmers went to court and after that they appealed to the European Court of Human Rights. The key legal question was; can a government strongly regulate property? The court confirmed this with a loud and clear yes. The ban is irrevocable and fully in force. There is no legal reason at all for the Bosnian parliament to postpone their fur farming ban.”

All throughout Europe governments are making significant steps to end fur farming. In the past year alone, Belgium, Luxembourg and Norway - once the world’s top fur producer- voted to ban fur production, and legislation against fur farming was introduced in Ireland, Estonia, and Lithuania.

With the 2009 Act, Bosnia and Herzegovina was part of the forefront of a Europe that is making an end to this barbaric industry. The extension of the phase-out period until 2028 is not in line with public opinion and the worldwide trend towards fur-free policies. The world continues to look at the Bosnian government to fulfill its commitment and put the cruel practice of fur farming to the dustbin of history

The Make Fur History event takes place on April 5th from 10:00 till 17:00. View the invitation here.

SOFIA, 22 MARCH 2019 - Yesterday, the opening of the exhibition 'The impact of fur farming' took place at the National Museum of Natural History at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, in Sofia. The exhibition, organised by animal rights organization CAAI, exposes the facts about how real fur is produced and why a national ban on fur farming is needed in Bulgaria.

The 7-day exhibition aims to build awareness and inform decision makers on the adverse effects of fur farming on animal welfare and the environment. The event follows a successful National Citizens' Initiative campaign that showed the wide public support among Bulgarian citizens to close down the polluting and cruel industry of fur farming.

In June 2018, exactly 51 234 signatures were submitted to the Bulgarian parliament by the National Citizens’ Initiative, which seeks to bring about a ban on fur farming on the country’s territory. Along with the signatures, a proposal for an amendment to the current legislation was submitted, with the aim to 'prohitibit the raising, killing and trade of animals for fur production in the Republic of Bulgaria'.

Mark Glover, board member of Fur Free Alliance and campaign director of Respect for Animals, spoke at yesterday's well-attended opening:

“We very much hope that the Bulgarian government responds to the overwhelming evidence that fur farming is cruel as well as the voice of the people of Bulgaria who are opposed to fur farming. This outdated and cruel practice has no place in a modern progressive country. The National Citizens' Initiative and CAAI have done an amazing job in getting this issue raised in Bulgaria. The exhibition is fantastic and deserves to be seen by as many people- including politicians- as possible.”