UK Protest As MPs Debate Fur Import Ban

UK protest as MPs debate fur import ban

Around 100 animal rights campaigners protested outside Britain's parliament on Monday ahead of a Westminster debate on the banning of fur imports.

London, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 4th Jun, 2018 ) :Around 100 animal rights campaigners protested outside Britain's parliament on Monday ahead of a Westminster debate on the banning of fur imports.

FreeBritain campaigners held banners and pictures showing the conditions in fur farms across 15 countries that export fur to Britain, including France, Poland, Canada and China.

MPs will debate the ban following the submission of a petition signed by over 400,000 people and delivered to Prime Minister Theresa May's Downing Street office by Queen musician Brian May.

"Fur farming was banned in England and Wales in 2000, followed by Scotland in 2002," said the petition.

"However fur products can still be legally imported from other countries and sold here in the UK.

"Much of this fur comes from countries that have very weak or no animal welfare laws at all." Claire Bass, from the Humane Society International (HSI) group that helped organise the protest, said surveys showed the "vast majority of the British public support a fur import ban".

A YouGov opinion poll commissioned by HSI earlier this year showed that 69 per cent of the British public were in favour of a UK fur ban, with 8 per cent opposed.

"As long as we import fur, the UK is effectively complicit in paying fur farmers and trappers overseas to inflict appalling suffering on millions of animals on our behalf," Bass added.

Britain prohibits the keeping of animals "solely or primarily for slaughter for the value of their fur" but still imports certain furs -- particularly fox, rabbit, mink, coyote, and chinchilla.

Almost 75 million ($100 million, 85 million Euros) of animal fur products cleared British customs over the last year, according to official tax figures.

Shadow finance minister John McDonnell and shadow environment secretary Sue Hayman were among those protesting.