Victory! Romania Bans Fur Farming
Romania has taken a major step forward for animal welfare by banning the fur farming of minks and chinchillas, effectively ending the country’s last fur industries.
Photo: Jo-Anna McArthur / We Animals Media
This landmark victory was approved by a large majority in the Romanian Parliament after two years of debate. The ban reflects shifting consumer attitudes in Romania, where a recent survey found that 67% of respondents supported prohibiting the cruel and unnecessary industry.
The new legislation, set to take effect in 2027, will make Romania the 22nd European nation to outlaw fur farming.
Momentum for the ban grew after an undercover investigation by Humane Society International - Europe exposed horrific conditions on Romanian fur farms, where chinchillas were kept in tiny, filthy cages before being slaughtered in cruel and violent ways for their pelts. The footage caused public outrage and spurred a petition for a fur farming ban that garnered 74,000 signatures. This ban is not only a victory for minks and chinchillas, sparing them from suffering on fur farms, but also for the environment, as fur farming is a highly polluting industry, and for human health by preventing the potential spread of serious zoonotic diseases.
This victory shows the real world results that are possible thanks to the hard work of undercover investigators and the impact everyday citizens can have when they use their voices to demand change.
Unfortunately, the United States has once again fallen behind Europe in passing similar common-sense legislation for the public good. The Mink: Vectors for Infection Risk in the United States Act (Mink VIRUS Act), an important bill that would save the lives of so many suffering animals in the United States, while simultaneously protecting American citizens from dangerous zoonotic diseases, has not gotten the traction it deserves in congress, and we need to keep the pressure on to ensure that it gets across the finish line.
If you haven’t already please click the link below and sign our petition in support of H.R.3783 the Mink VIRUS Act.