On Thursday 5th May 2022, the Spanish Parliament formed the backdrop for an NGO event calling for a ban on fur production. Tu Abrigo Su Vida, a Spanish animal protection organisation, was joined – amongst others – by campaigners from Germany, China, Finland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. 

Campaigners gathered in Madrid, as well as online, this week for the annual meeting of the Fur Free Alliance (FFA), which is an association of more than 50 animal protection organisations and based in more than 35 countries fighting together against the international fur trade. 

Shely Bryan, board member of the Fur Free Alliance and fur-free campaigner for Humane Society International, said:

<“The tide is turning against the cruel practice of fur farming within Europe and across the globe as concerns about animal welfare and the ethics of fur continue to grow. Seventeen European nations have already introduced legislation to end fur farming and more are presently considering proposals to ban it. Modern consumers simply don’t want wild animals to be confined to small wire cages and to suffer extreme pain, stress and fear solely for the sake of fashion.”

During the event, the anti-fur campaigners presented a letter to MPs Txema Guijarro (Unidas Podemos and chair of the Parliamentary Association in Defence of Animals (APDDA)) and Pilar Calvo (Junts per Catalunya), to deliver to the Prime Minister and other Members of the Spanish Parliament. 

Iván Ruiz, Executive Director of Spanish animal rights organisation Tu Abrigo Su Vida, said:

“We are convinced that Spain should be the next country to take the progressive step of banning fur production. We are grateful to have the support of animal protection organisations around the globe for such a ban.”

As animal welfare concerns on fur farming continue to grow, over 17 countries have introduced legislation in the past two decades to ban or phase-out the cruel practice of fur farming, including France, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.