News | Eurogroup for Animals

The measure prohibiting fur farming until 2026 passed its third – and final – reading in Estonia's parliament, the Riigikogu, making Estonia the first Baltic country to ban fur farms. 55 Members out of 101 voted in favour of the bill.

Estonia bans fur farming

The Environment Committee has agreed that the draft Act for Animal Protection and Nature Conservation, which would prohibit fur farms in Estonia, will be put to a final vote on June 2nd.

Final vote on the ban of Estonian fur farms in June

On 12 May, the European Commission adopted the Implementing Decision 788 which sets standards for the surveillance and reporting of SARS-CoV-2 infections in mink (and raccoon dogs) bred for fur production.

European Commission introduces mandatory SARS-CoV-2 screening in all European mink fur farms

12 months after the SARS-CoV-2 virus was first detected in animals in a mink farm in the Netherlands, the EU has failed to take decisive action to shut down these coronavirus reservoirs despite huge public support for a ban on fur farming.

COVID-19 first detected in European mink farms a year ago – NGOs and the public urge the EU to act

Norwegian mink farming is coming to a close. The latest numbers show that there are only six mink farms left in the country, down from 34 in October 2020.

Only six mink farms left in Norway!

Dyrevernalliansen

On the cusp of the mink breeding season, which is set to resume at the end of this month, the European Food Safety Agency has released a report finding that all mink farms should be considered at risk for COVID-19 outbreaks and must be strictly monitored. Following the release of this report, animal protection groups FOUR PAWS, Humane Society International/Europe, Eurogroup for Animals and Fur Free Alliance - and their member organisations – have issued a strong call urging the European Commission to instruct Member States to immediately suspend mink production.

New report finds that all mink farms should be considered “at risk” of COVID-19 infection

18 February 2021

Eurogroup for Animals and the Fur Free Alliance have released a scientific statement on public health risks associated with SARS-CoV-2 and intensive mink production, signed by numerous scientists from the fields of virology, infectious diseases, clinical microbiology, veterinary medicine and environmental health.

Scientific statement on public health risks from SARS-CoV-2 and the intensive rearing of mink

15 February 2021

Some years ago the biggest fur farm in Estonia (Balti Karusnahk AS) had about 160 000 animals — 30 000 foxes and 130 000 minks. Now there are no animals in this farm and the cages are empty.

The biggest fur farm in Estonia is now empty

11 February 2021

According to a survey by the polling company Taloustutkimus, 62 % of Finns do not approve of killing animals for their fur.

Survey: 62 % of Finns do not approve of killing animals for their fur

21 January 2021

Mink farms not only cause immense animal suffering, these coronavirus reservoirs put human lives at risk, say animal welfare groups

COVID-19: Why the EU must end mink farming

11 January 2021

Slow death in a gassing box, beating the animals to death with a metal rod, crushing the still breathing minks by the dead ones – shocking footage from a mink farm in Długie Stare near Leszno, the Greater Poland Voivodeship, was published by Otwarte Klatki. The activists informed the prosecutor’s office about the incident.

Shocking footage from mink gassing, minks dying in agony on a Polish farm

18 December 2020

To: Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides
Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski

We, the undersigned organisations, jointly call on the European Commission to immediately suspend the breeding of mink throughout the Union and urge Member States to take action to permanently prohibit fur production and/or bring forward existing phase-out dates for fur farming.

Joint Open Letter to the European Commission: Eliminating potential COVID-19 reservoir on EU mink farms

15 December 2020

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