Israel became the first country to ban the sale of animal fur | The world is good

Israel became the first country to ban the sale of animal fur

Israel became the first country in the world to ban the sale of animal fur. Animal rights group PETA praised this historic ban as a victory after Israel's Environmental Protection Minister Gila Gamliel signed the move into law, after 86 percent of the country supported the proposal. 

As PETA's announcement said, "For decades, PETA and our international affiliates have exposed horrific cruelty on fur farms, demonstrating that animals spend their entire lives confined to cramped, filthy wire cages." 

Fur trade are still possible for certain exceptions including "religion, religious tradition, scientific research, education or teaching." Regardless, Israel has taken a big step forward in the fight against fur for fashion — an industry that sees around one hundred million animals bred or killed for their fur each year.

Claire Bass, executive director of Humane Society International/UK, said: “This is a truly historic day for animal protection, with Israel becoming the first country in the world to ban the sale of fur fashion. Even with the exemption for traditional dress, without which this ban was unlikely to have succeeded, Israel’s fur ban will save the lives of millions of animals suffering on fur farms or languishing in cruel traps around the world, and it sends a clear message that fur is unethical, unnecessary and outdated”.

Views around fur have changed rapidly in recent years, with more and more fashion designers, including Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Burberry, Versace and Armani, adopting fur-free policies, and the majority of UK high street shops being proudly fur free.

In the United States, California became the first US state to ban fur sales in 2019 following similar bans in cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berkeley and West Hollywood. In 2020, legislators in Hawaii and Rhode Island introduced fur sales ban proposals, as have cities in Minnesota and Massachusetts.