Washington D.C. Council Introduces Bill to Ban Sale of Fur Products

The Washington D.C. Council finally introduced a bill to address the cruel practices at fur factories. The Fur Products Prohibition Act will prohibit the sale of new fur products in D.C., except for secondhand fur products and those used for religious custom.

The bill follows an investigation from an animal protection agency that showed the history of animal abuse and inhumane killing methods throughout the fur industry. The undercover investigation revealed the poor animals stuffed in tiny, wire-bottom cages, where they are kept for their short lives before being murdered by electrocution or blunt force trauma. Footage shows workers bashing the animals to death.

Source: Dzīvnieku brīvība/Youtube

Federal law does not apply to protecting animals on fur farms, according to the Humane Society of the United States but it needs to!

There are no animal fur farms in D.C., and of the stores that still sell fur products, only 1 percent of their revenue comes from those items, according to Census Bureau’s 2017 Economic Census. In the years since, many D.C. stores have agreed to stop the sale of fur, including Canada Goose, Neiman Marcus, and Moncler. They joined the Humane Society’s list of hundreds of other stores that have already committed to banning the sale of fur.

PJ Smith, director of fashion policy for the Humane Society of the United States, said, “A phaseout of fur sales in our nation’s capital would align policy with consumer values and the Apparel business community, which is overwhelmingly fur-free. Not only would this drive material innovation and create a humane marketplace within the district, but it would help protect millions of wild animals from a life of misery and a painful death.”

If the bill passes, Washington D.C. would join 11 other cities and the state of California in banning fur sales. Mink farms were a hotspot for COVID-19 transmission between mink and humans, which led to the banning of many fur farms across Europe.

Last year, Israel became the first nation to ban fur sales, and cities all over the world are finally taking a stand against these factory fur farms!

A national poll taken by Data for Progress found that nearly two-thirds of voters across the country would Support their city banning fur sales.

“This bill is about getting animals out of cages,” said D.C. Voters for Animals president Max Broad. “When people see fur Apparel, they see a product that involved an animal spending its life in agony. Passing this into law will be a reflection of compassion that so many D.C. residents already hold.”

This is a huge win, but the fight is not over. The Fur Products Prohibition Act will not apply to leather, cowhide, shearling, or previously owned fur products. Studies have found that fur products emit more carbon pollution than any other material, and the chemicals used to preserve them often end up in the air and waterways. Not only is this an incredibly cruel industry, but it’s also contributing to climate change. To take a stand and Support the Fur Products Prohibition act, you can Donate at the Fur Free DC website. Sign this petition calling for an end to fur farms in the United States.

Related Content:

• Things That Real Animal Fur Might Be Hidden In
• As Public Support for Fur Farming Declines, Animal Advocates Demand End to U.K. Fur Sales
• Animal Activists Speak Out Against Kylie Jenner Wearing Fur
• Ricky Gervais Stands with In Defense of Animals for Fur Free Friday [Video]
• Nordstrom Bans Fur and Exotic Animal Skins!
• Shocking New Footage of Animals Suffering on a Polish Fur Farm

For more Animal, Earth, Life, Vegan Food, Health, and Recipe content published daily, subscribe to the One Green Planet Newsletter! Lastly, being publicly-funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!