Israel Set To Become The First Country In the World To Ban Fur
New proposals will outlaw the buying and selling of animal fur, with fines of over $20,000 or a year in prison for anyone breaking the rules.
Credit: Jo-Anne McArthur / Djurrattsalliansen
In an historic move, Israel looks set to become the first country in the world to outlaw the buying and selling of animal fur.
Announcing the new initiative, Environmental Protection Minister Gila Gamliel said that there is “no need or justification for using fur … utilising the skin and fur of wildlife for the fashion industry is immoral”.
Anyone who breaks the law will be fined up to $22,000, or face a year in prison.
“The fur industry causes the killing of hundreds of millions of animals around the world, and involves indescribable cruelty and suffering", added Gamliel.
Under the new proposals, the use of animal fur will only be allowed in cases of religion/religious tradition, education, or scientific research.
In a survey conducted by Israeli animal rights group, Animals Now, 86 percent of the population were opposed to the caging and killing of animals for their fur.
While Sao Paulo and some American states such as California have outlawed the fur trade, Israel would be the first country to impose a national ban. Gamliel says that she hopes that other countries will follow suit.
Leading fashion labels, such as Calvin Klein, Gucci, and Versace, among many others, have all been removing animal fur from their collections, and the former CEO of the Fur Trade Association has recently denounced the fur trade as “indefensible”.
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