Malta Bans Fur Farming and Foie Gras Production

WEAR

Aug 17

The Mediterranean country is the latest to ban the force-feeding of ducks for their livers and the slaughter of animals for their fur.

A fox rescued from the fur industry. Credit: Andrew Skowron

Fur farming and foie gras production have both been banned in Malta with immediate effect following a new legal notice. The Maltese Ministry of Agriculture last week issued Legal Notice 187 2022, which amends the regulation on the Protection of Animals and outlaws the force-feeding of birds and the raising of animals for their fur.

As the Mediterranean country currently has no operating fur or foie gras farms, the ban is a precautionary measure to stop producers from setting up their operations in Malta. “Though such practices are not the norm in Malta, it is still crucial to prohibit them to ensure the protection of these animals,“ noted The Ministry for Agriculture.

Animal advocacy groups have celebrated the move, with Veggy Malta calling the fur ban a “great step forward.”

“Whilst the Legal Notice does not ban the sale of foie gras or fur locally from any unscrupulous buyer, they are a positive step in the right direction,” it stated on its Facebook page. “These are the type of bold, progressive actions that need to be taken in favor of animals.”

A fur-free future

Malta joins a growing list of more than a dozen EU countries, including Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and the United Kingdom that have prohibited fur farming.

Many major fashion brands including Gucci, Michael Kors, Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, and Moncler have removed fur from their collections in favor of more ethical and eco-conscious materials, while the former CEO of the Fur Trade Association has denounced the animal cruelty inherent in the fur trade as “indefensible”.

Despite the progress, around 100 million animals are still killed for their fur every year as part of the global fur trade, including coyotes, minks, raccoon dogs, and chinchillas. Animals are typically kept in cramped conditions where cannibalism and neurotic behavior is not uncommon. To harvest their fur, the animals are bludgeoned, skinned alive, electrocuted, or gassed. The trade is also detrimental to the environment, associated with water pollution, land degradation, and greenhouse gas emissions.

The Fur Free Europe European Citizens’ Initiative is calling on the EU to ban all fur farming and the import of farmed fur products across the continent. The petition, which currently has over 250,000 signatures, must hit one million to receive a response from the European Commission.

Getting foie gras off the menu

Foie gras has repeatedly come under fire for its cruel production methods, in which geese and ducks are force-fed - often through tubes inserted in their throats - until their livers become unnaturally engorged. Between 10 million and 70 million ducks and geese undergo this process in the EU each year, according to some estimates.

Although foie gras production is illegal in the EU under Article 3 of the European Convention for the protection of animals kept for farming purposes, the industry argues that foie gras is a cultural tradition relating to regional heritage and therefore should not be banned. This loophole allows the five EU member states of Bulgaria, France, Spain, Hungary, and Belgium to continue to make the product. And although the production of foie gras has been banned across multiple EU member states, including the Czech Republic, Denmark, Italy, and Germany, and now Malta, those countries still allow foie gras to be imported and sold.

Solutions for change

As campaigners continue to push for outright bans on both the production and importation of fur and foie gras, others are working to offer solutions that can help make the industries obsolete.

Foie gras alternatives are being developed by food entrepreneurs. California-based, The Better Meat Co. recently announced plans to introduce an analog of its foie gras made from its mycelium-derived Rhiza protein. Meanwhile Prime Roots’ vegan foie gras, which uses mycelium from Koji - the same fungi used to make products such as miso and soy sauce - is set to launch in U.S. supermarkets and restaurants this year, according to its website.

Cell-based companies including Japanese startup IntegriCulture and French startup Gourmet, are also racing to create cultivated foie gras. Made from duck stem cells and grown in vitro in large stainless-steel tanks known as bioreactors, this cell-based pâté is completely slaughter-free while being indistinguishable from the real thing. Both IntegriCulture and Gourmet expect to release their products once they receive regulatory approval.

Next-gen (animal free, high performance and sustainable) materials, including faux fur, are gaining more and more traction from fashion brands and designers. New York City-based material innovation studio and outerwear brand House of Fluff create vegan faux fur products using recycled fibers sourced from post consumer waste. Elsewhere, a new material on the faux fur market is KOBA fur, a bio-based fur made from oil from vegetable crops. Learn more about Next-gen materials with our recent podcast episode with Sydney Gladman And Ranjani Theregowda of Material Innovation Initiative (MII), the non-profit that’s advancing next-gen materials here.

We Have A Favor To Ask…

Species Unite amplifies well-researched solutions to some of the most abusive animal industries operating today.

At this crucial moment, with worldwide momentum for change building, it’s vital we share these animal-free solutions with the world - and we need your help.

We’re a nonprofit, and so to keep sharing these solutions, we’re relying on you - with your support, we can continue our essential work in growing a powerful community of animal advocates this year.

Share on facebook

Share on Twitter