Italy Plans to Completely Ban Animal Fur Farms

Italy was once a fur market powerhouse with epicentres in Milan, Florence and Rome, with thriving family furrieries that peaked in the industrial boom of the 1960s. As a result of a tireless decades-long effort of protests, demonstrations and covert actions by animal welfare associations and activists around the world, leading Italian brands such as Prada, Valentino, Armani, Versace and Gucci have abandoned animal fur, and now this collective decision by the luxury fashion industry will be backed by the government. This initiative stems from the efforts of the animal protection organisation Humane Society International in Europe, which gave the government a strategic solution to turn fur farms into alternative businesses and give compensation to breeders, which will be covered by a fund of the Ministry of Agriculture totalling 3 million euros in 2022. Consumers are increasingly concerned about the environmental and ethical context of their purchases. As a result, many brands and designers have been quick to distance themselves from fur in recent years, including iconic Italian brands such as Valentino, Armani, GUCCI, Prada and Versace. Most have cited animal welfare and sustainability as key motivators along with the changing public perception of animal-derived textiles. On the 21st of December 2021, the Italian Senate Budget Committee approved a modified amendment to a budget law that would permanently ban the fur industry in Italy. The text of the law includes a total ban on the trapping and breeding of minks, foxes, raccoon dogs, chinchillas and any other animals for their fur. So far, outbreaks of COVID-19 have been confirmed in approximately 465 mink farms in 12 countries, and studies indicate that the susceptibility of this species in particular to the coronavirus, combined with the crowded and unsanitary conditions of intensive fur farming in general, make the industry a high-risk environment for this and any future pandemic. The ban would see Italy's remaining fur farms suspended by 30 June 2022 and provide for three million euros in compensation for farmers and workers affected by forced closures of the five remaining fur farms in the country. MP Michela Vittoria Brambilla supported the conversion proposal and Senator Loredana De Petris formally introduced the amendment. The decision still requires final approval by the Italian Parliament but is expected to be approved by the end of this year, making Italy the 16th country in Europe to ban fur farming like Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Norway or Denmark, which in November last year banned mink farming until 2022 due to a coronavirus outbreak.